Nothing Unexpected
by DarkSarcasm
Summary: The strange summer gives way to an even stranger school year, and it all started with that one stranger.
1. Default Chapter

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world.

Chapter 1 - Prologue

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You know the old saying "Elephants never forget"? Well, whoever made that up obviously had never met Hermione Granger. She was now standing in front of the man close to her father's age thinking about how it had only been 3 months since he had been 18 and the love of her life. It seemed like such a lifetime ago. She was staring into his onyx eyes as he looked down at her making the raven hair frame his face. 'Gods', she thought, 'how did I get myself into this, how did this happen so fast, and how am I going to get him to stay with me?' She silently walked over to him and reached out to touch his hair but he grabbed her hand, shaking his head no. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought how much she loved him and just how relieved she was to see him here.

****

6th year had ended without president. No You-Know-Who attacks, no lives taken, and no failing grades. The Golden Trio ran from their rooms to the Hogwarts Express, not wanting to be late boarding the train that will finally take them home. They raced into an empty compartment with Harry in the lead, who threw up his arms in victory, next Ron, and then a thrilled Hermione slid on to a seat next to Harry. They soon began talking about their upcoming summer plans.

"Ron what going on with you this summer?" Harry asked still trying to catch his breath but with a pleased look in his eyes for being first in their race.

"Well, my whole family is coming to the Burrow to congratulate Fred and George on their new shop in Hogsmede seeing as how they just had to drop out of school in the most fantastic way possible." Ron took a bit of his chocolate frog and looked for at the card hoping it wasn't "oh bloody... Dumbledore again, I swear that man must have a factory that just makes cards just for him."

"Hey Ron, how did your mum react to the twins dropping out?" Harry asked with a glint in his eyes.

"She flipped. I've never seen her so mad before and that's including the encounters with the rest of the clan. Gods, I just hope I never make her that mad. Fred said that she sent them Howler after Howler for three weeks to their shop. And she wouldn't even let them come home until their job opened and got its profit. But since 'Weasley Wizarding Wheezes' is doing so well she is welcoming them back with open arms at the party this week. What about you Harry what are you doing this summer besides being miserable at the Dursley's?"

"I'm so excited about going back there!" Ron and Hermione looked as if he had sprouted five extra pairs of heads. "Sirius was cleared of all the charges! They caught Pettigrew. It's all over the papers." Harry held up the Daily Prophet which had the picture of Peter Pettigrew being brought into the Ministry's offices in, and read off what it said. "A still green Aurur by the name of Persiam Deppart caught Peter Pettigrew, who is now being held in Azkaban prison. "I just wanted to make a name for myself in the Ministry so I "snuck" into Voldemort's lair and found Pettigrew sitting there looking extremely rat-like." To this Ms. Deppart laughed at the memory of Pettigrew. In her impromptu raid of the lair she caught seven Death Eaters who are facing trial and Azkaban. After being caught and interrogated, it was found out that Pettigrew killed Lily and James Potter, who was thought to have been killed by Sirius Black. Sirius Black, you remember, had escaped from Azkaban almost four years ago but has not been sited since last summer. The trial is taking place on July 14." All three of them had the biggest smiles on their faces by the time Harry finished.

"I can't believe it Harry, Sirius is free, he's finally free." Hermione was so happy she was almost crying. She lunged at Harry and Ron, hugging them both, with them looking scared to death.

"Wait there's more here on the next page. 'Once they had found Black, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge gave a very public apology to Black and asked for forgiveness from himself, the Ministry, and the entire wizarding community. Fudge gave Black the award of the Order of the First Merlinand asked for peace and no animosity towards Black.' I can't believe it; I wish I would have seen Fudge's face when he was asking for forgiveness from Sirius!" Harry shouted out in laughter.

"Well, Harry what are you going to do?" Hermione still had tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'm going to live with Sirius and Lupin and Number 12 Grimauld Place. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me, you guys."

After a few long minutes of contented silence, Ron spoke up. "So Hermione what are you going to do this summer, besides study, study, study like a good little student?" Ron said the last part in baby talk just trying to get a rise out of her.

"Shut up, Ronald, just because I like to get good grades doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun." To that to boys tried to hide their laughing but when she glared at them, they couldn't hold the laughter in. They started laughing so hard, that by the time they were through they were crying. Someone from the next compartment over even came by to make sure they were OK.

"Hermione, you know he was just kidding. You may be a nerdy, know-it-all, book worm, but you're OUR nerdy, know-it-all, book worm, and we wouldn't have you any other way." Harry leaned over and pinched one of her cheeks just to make sure he got the point across. This just made Ron laugh even harder.

"Thanks guys. I knew I had friends for some reason."

"But really tell us what you're going to do this summer." Ron said after finally gotten his laughing under control.

"Well, I don't know really. Mum and dad are leaving for a dental convention in Paris next week. The convention is about two weeks, but they thought that since I was so mature for my age they were going to stay an extra two weeks for a kind of second honeymoon. So I basically get to spend a month with myself. I'll probably get my summer homework done and look at universities."

"Hermione, why don't you come and stay for the party at the Burrow and then go over to Harry's but don't stay by yourself for a month, you'll turn into a hermit. But I really can't do anything about you doing the homework yet can I? No, I didn't think so. Come on, please."

"No, it's really OK guys. I like to spend time with just me. And I really want to spend some time working on my tan for next year, seeing as how it is the last year."

Harry and Ron both looked at her in confusion and had their mouths hanging wide open. Harry was the first to speak up. "Wait, Hermione are you actually caring about what you look like above studying? OH NO! The world is coming to an end. Hell is freezing over!" Harry was dramatically fainted while Ron caught him.

****

The rest of the trip went along smoothly, with Hermione threatening to hex both of them if they didn't shut up and stop making fun of her about her summer plans. The three talked about what they were going to do and what they hoped was going to happen. But when the food cart came around all talking seemed to stop as Harry and Hermione watched in fascination as Ron stuffed his face with all kinds of treats and goodies. Once Hermione fell asleep Ron and Harry started talking about something a bit more serious.

"Ron, I have to tell you something." Harry looked really self-conscious and looked to make sure nobody was coming and that Hermione was really asleep.

"Yeah, what is it mate? You look weird, are you alright?"

"Well, you see I have started to like Hermione more then a friend. I really want to ask her out but I don't know what she's going to say. I mean we've all been friends for six years and I don't want to ruin it but, man, Ron I just think I love her."

Ron looked really shocked as Harry was talking. "Really, she's like our sister."

To this Harry cut him off. "Thanks, Ron that really doesn't add to my confusion at all!"

Ron just picked up where he left off just glaring at Harry. "But you can't help it if you love her. Why don't you ask her out before she goes home and invite her to stay with you and Sirius until her parents get back?"

"Yeah I think I will, thanks Ron." Harry rode through the rest of the train ride trying to think about how he was going to talk to Hermione about it.

"Hey, Hermione wake up, we're almost there you might wanna go change out of your robes." Rom said shaking her awake.

Hermione woke up with a start feeling strong arms shaking her. "Oh, thanks Ron."

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go change so I'll just see you guys in a little bit." Ron was kind of stammering as he said this and quickly walked out of the compartment to go change.

"What's up with Ron?" Hermione asked Harry who was looking just as odd as Ron.

"Um...Hermione can I ask you something?" Harry asked nervousness quavering in his voice.

"Yeah, sure Harry what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanna come and live with me since your going to be home alone for a month. No, wait it won't be just me. It'll be Sirius and Lupin too, but what I mean is um..."

"Harry just say it." Hermione was getting a little worried because Harry is never at a loss for words.

"Um...Hermionedoyouwannagooutwithme?" Harry said in a very, very rushed voice.

Hermione smiled knowing what he had said even though some other girls might not. "Yeah, Harry I would really like that."

Harry let out the breath he had been holding. "Really?" She nodded her head with a very big smile on her face. "OK yeah, well, that's it Herm, but I'm gonna go change now."

Hermione chuckled a little as she watched his retreating form go out the door.

The trio was taken by parents and relatives saying good-bye to each other for the summer, or for Harry and Hermione case until their first date. When Hermione got home she ran upstairs and wrote in her journal what had happened in the train and how excited she was for this.

****

The week passed quickly and soon Hermione was saying good-bye to her parents for one month as they left for Paris. When she shut the front door, she squealed a little so happy to be by herself for the next month. She went to the kitchen and pulled out ice-cream and made the biggest sundae she had ever made and sat down in the living room and put in the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD getting ready to watch Orlando Bloom and Mr. Hottie himself Johnny Depp. She laughed to herself when she thought about how she had asked her parents to smuggle him home when they wondered what kind of souvenir she wanted from Paris.

The next morning Hermione woke up pleasantly at noon, waking up much later then she had intended to. She took a leisurely bath, enjoying the fact she didn't have to share the bathroom with three other girls fighting and screaming and scurrying for a chance to get to the mirror and the wonderful lavender smell that omitted from her shampoo and conditioner. She dressed in her most comfortable jeans and a great shirt she had gotten last Boxing Day.

Making her way down the stairs she heard a knock on the door. Opening up, a very distressed but not to mention very cute young man stumbled in, wearily looking at her.

"Can I help you?" Hermione asked trying not to stare and to keep her mouth from gaping like a fish.

"I've been looking for so long. But please, PLEASE tell me that you've heard of Hogwarts!" He frantically told her.

"Yeah!" she said in amazement, "that's where I go to school. But...but who are you?"

He smiled the biggest and most relieved smile she had ever seen, that literally stretched from ear to ear. "My name is Snape...Severus Snape." to that he soundly passed out on her front steps with her standing amazed at this man that could not have been anymore then 18, but that this man was no other then her snarky potions professor.

Hermione would have laughed at the very Bond like introduction but when she looked at him she saw his ragged clothes and his sweat cover face. No. This right here was no laughing matter and he needed to be taken inside as fast as she could. Whipping out her wand she was about to levitate him inside and over to the couch when she saw one of her elderly neighbors passed and realized this is not Hogwarts and that she would get kicked out of Hogwarts for underage magic before he even wakes up. So as shocked and to say the least mortified for thinking Snape was cute, Hermione Granger was always levelheaded. She quickly dragged the boy in and put him on the couch.

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Author's Note: Ok so this is my first story so I hope you guys like it.

Thanks to my beta reader and make sure to look for typos, her codename thingy is bloomgirl247. I think and her story is Harry Potter and the Book of Deception, and its harry/hermione not my fav pairing but I'm her beta reader so its my duty to let others know about it.

Oh, and also I bet some of you noticed how I brought Sirius back with no explanation as to how. Well, I'll let you make that part up because it would take a couple chapters to explain that, so just find your own way and enjoy my story!

Thanks for reading BYE!


	2. The Man Upstairs

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 2 - The Man Upstairs

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Hermione hurriedly put him on the couch and went to get a blanket and pillow to keep this man comfortable. When she had been satisfied of his comfort, she sat down on a big, overstuffed, black chair. She grabbed one of the pillows and tucked it under her chin as she studied his harsh features. The worry lines from a hard life had not yet appeared on his face. In sleep, he looked quiet and friendly; this came as a very large contrast to his normal life. Well, the one she knew anyway. She let her eyes roam to his lips, full and not spread into a pencil thin line she had seen so many times when he got angry at anyone. His nose was still large but it wasn't crooked yet. 'That must have come from one of his Death Eater beatings,' she thought. A rush of sadness flooded to her, but she quickly pushed it away, wondering how she could ever feel sorry for Snape after all he did to her. But as she took a closer look at it, his nose, and she decided, it gave the appearance of aristocracy rather than ugliness.

"Oh, gods, how did you get here and what am I going to do with you?" she mumbled into the air, while using her forefinger and thumb to pinch the bridge of her nose.

A few hours later, a dazed Severus Snape woke up moving his very sore and stiff neck around, he was looking around the room not recalling it and had no idea how he had gotten there. He started to get nervous and made a break for the door to get out of this place.

"And where do you think your going?" Hermione was carrying in a tray of food and some very strong tea she thought that he would need.

Severus held up his wand and pointed it at her threatening. Hermione saw him point his wand at her, set down the food, and raised her arms in a non-defensive manner. Seeing this, he grew even more suspicious but put his wand down towards his side for the moment, still keeping a tight grip on it.

"Where am I?" Severus asked still weary of the girl in front of him, his eyes squinting.

"London, my house, where you saw fit to black out on my front steps."

"Who are you?"

"My, quite demanding with all these questions aren't you?"

"Just answer me!" Severus shouted. Spending 6 years in Slytherin taught him not to trust anybody no matter how innocent they may look on the outside.

"Alright, alright calm down. My name is Hermione Granger." She coolly and delicately sat down taking two cup from the tray and pouring the tea. She leaned back in the chair she had sat in to study his features and sipped quietly at her tea to let him take in all that happened and what he was going to do next.

Suddenly the next day flooded back to Severus and he jumped up and gave her the biggest bear hug she had ever received not counting the times with Hagrid, because, lets face it, nobody she had ever met gave a better bear hug than the half-giant. When he unexpectedly did this, Hermione's face changed from shock to nervousness as an unfamiliar and unpredicted tingling ran through her skin and color ran from her cheeks down to her neck.

He suddenly pulled back. "I have to get back to Professor Dumbledore; he'll know what to do. He always knows what to do. I swear that man can see everything that goes on anywhere when it concerns one of his students." As he hurriedly said all of this he shot through the room looking for his cloak.

"Wait! WAIT!!" Hermione yelled at him. This noise made him stop and look at her with an amused face, "how did you get here?"

"See, that's just it. I don't know." Severus said finally calming down enough to sit down and talk to her.

"Well, tell me what you remember before you got here." At this point she was starting to sound like a therapist. 'Wow I need to stop spending so much time in my aunt's office.' She thought to herself.

"Alright. I was walking down the hallway with Professor Dumbledore and we were talking about something but I really can't recall what, it's all still fuzzy. The next thing I remember I was walking through the dungeons with Lucius, when he shoved me and then I ended up in what I can only think is downtown London."

Hermione was getting more and more confused as the story went on. 'What is going on?' she thought, but the look on Severus's face told her that his tale was over. She shook her head to slightly clear her head of thoughts. Hermione sat up straighter in the chair and took some time to go over the story in her head.

"Well, what do you think of all of this?" He asked sounding inpatient but still looking at her excitedly.

"Wait..." realization just dawned on her. "Lucius?" 'Oh my gods I can't believe I didn't think of it before.' To this Severus just nodded his head making his black hair fall around his face, framing it almost perfectly. "When do you think this is?" furrowing her brow.

"Well, I haven't been out in the Muggle world for some time now so that won't help me. But, it's 1983 of course!"

Hermione's eyes grew wide as saucers as she took in what he just said. 'Oh shit, oh shit, oh bloody shit! What am I going to do?' She stood up and walked over to the fireplace and stared off into space trying to rationalize what she had just heard. This also gave her time to think of a plan of getting him back to Dumbledore and back to his own time as fast as she possibly could.

Severus looked up at her and studied her face and her body. He watched her get up and walk over to fireplace, and shifting from left foot to right foot. She got a very serious look on her face which made him smile and think about how he really wanted to kiss her. He was so avidly staring at her lips that he didn't notice she was looking at him with the same fascination as he was regarding her with.

"I'm gonna go to sleep, so please stay here and in the morning we'll figure out what we can to do about getting you to Dumbledore and hopefully back home.

"Alright, good-night Hermione." Severus said to her still in a daze from watching her lips and body move as she talked to him, but the habitual manners took over and he bowed slightly.

Hermione smiled a half smile at him. "Good-night Prof...Severus." She covered that up nicely. 'Can't let him know, no matter how weird it will be called Snape by his first name.'

He watched her walk up the stairs and heard her bedroom door click. He flopped very ungracefully on the couch as he thought of her. He thought of those lips and her brown eyes that seemed to look right through you. Those were eyes you could get lost in. They were a cinnamon color that just dared you to stare straight into them so they could suck you up and never, ever let you go. And he honey curls that looked so soft and fluffy. He wanted to touch them so badly he could already feel his fingers humming and quivering. And her smell. Oh, he shuddered, she smelled like lavender, honey suckle and pure white. 'I've known this beautiful women for less then one day and I already feel like I'm in love with her. Oh gods, help me with this.' Severus fell over on the couch and fell asleep with a smile on his face thinking about the witch upstairs he was going to make her own.

Hermione walked up the stairs and felt eyes burning into her back all the way up. As she heard the door of her bedroom click shut, she leaned back on the solid wood and let out a loud, exasperated sigh. Even though she tried to calm her body, her mind was having a war within itself. 'It's not supposed to be like this, I'm not supposed to like him. He's Snape, he's a Death Eater.' But a little voice in the back of her head wouldn't let that fly. 'No, No, not yet is he a Death Eater and besides you would like him anyway, you have since last year.' 'Nuh huh. No I haven't,' her logical side said as she shook her head violently. With the war in her head she collapsed down on her bed. No matter what she was thinking, one thing was constant. Hermione couldn't stop thinking about him. About his eyes, black pools you could drown in. Oh and his aroma, it was so manly and uniquely him. He smelled of sandalwood, spices, and he just had the musk of a man. Being so close to him made her head spin with all the scents flying at her. That night she fell asleep with a smile on her face thinking of the man downstairs.

****

In the middle of the night, Hermione was awoken by a hushed but very insistent pecking and tapping at her bedroom window. She may be a muggle-born but she knew after spending six years in the wizarding world, the sound meant that the mail was here. She groggily rolled over and looked out the window but didn't see anything. "Fine, fine I'm coming." She told the bird outside the window. She padded quietly over to the window and unlatched the lock of it, opening the window to the owl. And soon enough, a beautiful snowy owl flew inside and landing on her bed. "Hedwig, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked the owl. But its only response was to look down at the letter on it leg and back up at her expectantly.

Hermione flopped down on the bed next to the bird and reached out for the letter. She ripped at the seal and looked at Harry's familiar, scratchy handwriting.

_**Hermione,**_

**_Hey, Hermione, it's me Harry! Well, I guess you know that already since Hedwig is sitting next to you waiting for a response, since you don't have an owl to send a letter back to me."_**

'Wow, something's up. Harry never writes like this, I wonder what happened.'

"**_Um... ok, back to the point. I was wondering if you would like to come and visit me... and Remus and Sirius later this week since you're all alone. We could catch up on old times. But just write me back with your answer. _**

**_Your friend,_**

_**Harry Potter**_

"Wow!" Hermione exclaimed re-reading the note. She looked confused and was really curious as to why Harry would write like that and then sign with his full name like they hadn't been best friends for the past six years. But then all those thoughts went out of her head as she thought about the man sleeping on her couch downstairs and had a feeling it wouldn't be a good idea to leave him alone, so she quickly got a piece of parchment out of her desk and wrote her response for the patiently waiting bird.

_**Harry,**_

__

_**You really need to keep control of that bird. Hedwig woke me up at 3:30 in the morning. But you know I love to hear from you and Ron during the summer. **_

**_I would really love to come visit you, Remus, and Sirius, but I think I need this month by myself to re-coup and rest for the upcoming school year and I do still need to do the summer homework. Why don't you write me back when my parents come back in a month and invite me again? _**

**_I can't wait to see you guys, and I hope your doing well._**

_**All the best,**_

_**Hermione**_

Hermione read her letter and thought it was good enough to keep Harry and his questions at bay for the time being. She took the letter, rolled it up, and tied it back to Hedwig's leg and gave him some of the toast she had laying by her bed from that morning. Hermiome petted the owl and it flew happily and speedily out the window off to 12 Grimauld Place.

****

Just as the first lights of morning broke through the sky, Hedwig flew into the window of Harry's room at Grimauld. Harry, who had written the letter at about 1:30 am, was still awake excitedly waiting for Hermione's reply. As Harry saw Hedwig land softly on her perch, he ran over and practically ripped his owl's leg off in wanting to see what Hermione had to say. This action gained a loud and very angry hoot from Hedwig.

He read the letter frantically and was disappointed to hear that Hermione was not going to come and stay with them but was giddy to find out that she was going to after her parents had gotten back from France. Harry laid down on his bed and re-read the letter many times, just taking in Hermione's handwriting. He finally laid the parchment on his bedside table and set his glasses down on top of it, to make sure he could read it again right as he woke up the next morning.

****

Author Notes: Thanks to everyone who keeps reading my chapters, and please review I would love to know how I'm doing! I know people are a little bit OOC but that will change. I'm just setting up the story. OMG thank you so much to Astaildiarfreak, Chainmailgrl, and GeekGoddess1!!! I love you guys so much, my first reviews. You completely made my day! BYE


	3. Her First ExperienceSwimming

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 3: Her First Experience...Swimming

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The next morning started early for Hermione, as her rumbling stomach immediately woke her up. She dressed quickly into her bathing suit, as she was going to go tan and go swimming after her breakfast, and made her bed, not yet remembering the night before. But all the while she had a nagging suspicion that something was off, not bad but just... off. Hermione walked down the stairs hurriedly and went into the kitchen searching out the food and orange juice.

Severus was still asleep, as he heard the creaking of the floorboards. He woke up grudgingly and a little annoyed still wanting to sleep. But he threw his covers off and opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He saw what he thought was an angel, what he thought was still in his dreams. The figure floated down the staircase, with her hair shimmering in the early morning. He sat up and rubbed away the sleep that still plagued his eyes. Severus stayed there for a moment to allow the head rush to stop long enough so that he could see straight or at least at all. He brushed his limp hair away from his face and blinked several times making sure the blood wasn't still rushing in his head. He stood up and stretched thoroughly cracking his knuckles, neck, and back, as was his morning ritual.

After the ritual, Severus walked silently towards the kitchen, but not as silent as he is in the years to come. He has yet to perfect that trait that has made the more rambunctious students at Hogwarts more than a little peeved.

****

Hermione had sat herself down on a stool and was munching on an apple when she heard someone move behind her in the kitchen.

"AHH!!!" she screamed.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect to frighten you so badly. I just woke up and saw you come in here."

"No, that's OK, I just kind of forgot that you were here so I really didn't think anyone was going to sneak up behind and scare the living day lights out of me this early in the morning." She said still trying to slow her heart pace as she realized that it wasn't racing because she got scared. 'Just stop thinking about him. **NOT SEXY!! HE IS SNAPE, HE IS NOT SEXY!!!'** She was screaming this inside her mind as a sort of mantra that really wasn't working as he padded over the linoleum in the kitchen towards her without his shirt on.

Severus looked her up and down taking in her scantily-clad form in, what gave the impression of, underwear. "So do you usually walk around your home half-naked when you're by yourself?" He asked innocently enough.

"What?" she said shaking her head to get out of the daze she had caught herself up in by looking at his well formed abs.

"I said, what are you wearing, besides, clothing I mean." Severus was just now noticing that she was very wrapped up in staring at his naked and lean torso. 'Well, good she should, Quiddich wasn't for nothing' he thought getting the very obvious smirk on his face.

"Oh, no this is a bathing suit. Muggles swim in it, you know, swimming." As Hermione was trying to explain this to a very lost Severus, she was giving him a visual of a swimmer moving in a breast stroke. To this he looked at her very puzzled with an eyebrow raised and cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out when she had gone completely insane. She noticed the confused look on his face and laughed a little bit thinking he looked like a confused puppy. "Here let me show you." Hermione walked over and took his hand and led him out back to their pool.

Hermione stopped by the water and pointed at it. "See this is a pool."

"Oh, yes, now I know what you're talking about. Yeah, my mother and father had one built at the manner a couple of months ago. They weren't very happy about it, a pool being such a muggle thing, you know." He said finally knowing what Hermione was talking about. "I've even just learned how to swim."

"Oh, really?" Hermione got a very mischievous glint in her eyes. She sprinted towards him and with all of her might she pushed Severus into the pool. But what she didn't expect was that he had known enough to grab her while in mid-air right before he fell in.

Hermione came up out of the water and shook her head and rubbed her eyes to clear them of the chlorine water so it didn't burn. As she opened her eyes, her breath was caught in her throat as she took in the sight that was going on in front of her. She watched as in slow motion, Severus welled up out of the water and the swell of his wake just made him all that more attractive. The water rolled down his face and his hair as he shook out the water, to this she laughed to herself as images of a muggle T.V. show with busty women on the beach instantly filled her brain. But Hermione immediately snapped to her senses as she realized what he had just done.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Hermione shouted. She jumped on him and dunked him under the water just after he had been able to catch his breath. But this time as he came out of the water he was more prepared and came up out of the water using his momentum to dunk her down while push himself up.

But Hermione came out of the water a mere few inches from his face and this movement took them both by surprise. She stared into his black eyes, her smile fading, turning into a face more lust filled. This new look in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Severus as he was sure his face looked exactly the same. He leaned in and kissed her very timidly at first, to make sure it was OK. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with the wet silky hair that stuck to the back of his neck. Severus took this motion as an invitation; he curled his arms around her waist and felt the curves of her lower back that weren't hidden by her swimsuit. Hermione shivered unconsciously as he ran his long and experienced fingers up and down her spine.

The kiss deepened as Severus glided his tongue on her bottom lip, begging for entrance to be able to taste her and be tasted by her. Hermione felt her lip heat up and opened her mouth, only to have it thoroughly explored by his curious tongue. She used hers to rub and massage his. They were getting very hot and heavy, until they both saw the need for air.

****

The new morning had come all too soon for Harry. He sat up and rubbed his eyes trying in vain to remember the dream he had last night about Hermione and himself. He reached over for his glasses and smiled as he felt the paper underneath. Harry slipped on his now famous oval, owl glasses and picked up the letter gingerly not wanted to rip it. He read it over and over again trying to picture her writing this and wondering what she was doing at the moment. But his day-dreaming was, for the moment, ruined as Sirius slammed the door open and came bounding in the room, all of this in his Sirius-dog form, of course.

"Yes, Yes, I'm awake Sirius! Go on now; let me change so I can eat something!" Harry said this to the very excited dog that was happily barking and wagging his tail madly to and fro. But all that stopped for a brief second which Harry didn't notice, as Sirius saw the letter in Harry's hand and sniffed obviously figuring out that it was a letter from Hermione that had been loved by Harry, whose scent was covering it.

Harry noticed that the dog gave him an odd glance almost curious and mischievous and gave him the same look back. But before Harry knew what was going on, Sirius, making a well planned attack, ripped the letter that was still clutched in Harry's hand, jumped off the bed and ran mad-cap through the house trying the get to Remus as fast as possible but also taking Harry for a wild chase.

Harry felt the paper being taken and saw the blur of black fur fly from the room but didn't process the information until about 3...2...1! He flew off his bed and chased the big, black dog all through the familiar halls until they both had reached Remus's room. Harry found the now human Sirius and Remus reading the letter and looking very pleased and proud with themselves as they looked up at Harry coming into the room.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here, Mr. Potter?" Remus glanced up from the page with an amused look in his eye as Harry became notably nervous under their scrutinizing eyes.

"It's nothing. But Sirius," at this point giving his godfather a death glare that was almost worthy of Snape himself, "thought it would be fun to have a morning romp all the way through the house with the letter Hermione sent to me last night." Harry was angry but felt the heat from embarrassment rise progressively up from his chest to this neck and lastly to his face.

"Oh, yes, we know that much Harry, but can I ask you why I found you clutching to it for dear life as I came into the room and we can note the different scents on this well loved piece of parchment." Sirius laughed and watched intently as Harry's red face became even more so as he figured out what Sirius was talking about.

"So, my boy, when are you going to ask our very beautiful friend, Miss Granger, out on a date?" Remus stated this very poignantly, very dignified.

Harry got very worried and looked down at his feet trying to figure out what to say and how to avoid the whole subject all together. But when you've got family like Sirius Black, as the very clichéd saying goes, "resistance is futile!"

"Oh, for god's sakes, out with it, Harry! We're gonna be old men standing here, before you ever tell us." Sirius finally shrieked out breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Alright, alright! I kinda asked her on the train back from Hogwarts and she accepted. And I asked her in the letter to come and visit us." But seeing how this was not going to satisfy is godfather and Lupin, Harry decided to continue. "Well, I asked her to come and stay with us for the time that he parents were off in France. But she said no because she needs time to be by herself. Although, she did say that afterwards she would come down here, if I were to ask her again, that is."

With his story finished, Remus and Sirius shared knowing glances, they had both known for some time that Harry had fallen for the now strikingly beautiful Hermione Granger. They smiled at him proudly for finally getting up the legendary Gryffindor courage to ask her out. Even though both still wanted to know the rest of the story, they dropped it at that. Remus and Sirius went over to Harry, clapped him hard on the back and congratulated him for asking her out and for her saying yes. They talked for awhile about what his letter had said and at what time he sent it. Both weren't happy he sent the letter at 1:30 in the morning but were excited to hear that she sent a reply back that night instead of waiting till she had gotten more sleep.

Sirius looked over at Harry sheepishly. "Well, sorry about all that Harry, but it did wake you up!" Sirius laughed out loud and handed Harry back the letter still in tact but with a 'few' places of drool on it. "Come on, let's go downstairs into the kitchen and have breakfast. I'm starving!" To this exclamation they all doubled up with laughter as they made their way down the steps.

****

As Hermione and Severus pulled away from each other, Severus leaned his forehead on Hermione's as they were gasping for air, wanting nothing more than to pick up where they had felt off. Hermione opened her eyes and smiled as she saw and felt how turned on this man was, as he was holding her tightly. This reaction was something the very timid and meek book-worm, know-it-all wasn't use to at all, except for those few awkward times when she and Ron had been snogging feverously behind a bookcase or in a secret corner in the hallways in their 5th year. But just as this wonderful and satisfying thought crossed her mind, another one, a bit more frightening and alarming, entered her calm mind. 'I just kissed Snape and like it, who am I kidding, I loved it and so did he. He is going to kill me once I get back to school.'

"What's the matter?" Severus queried very apprehensively, noticing that something about the moment wasn't right at all. He looking into her eyes and saw how she looked anxious and how she immediately averted her eyes as he looked down at her.

"N-nothing... it's just... that..." Her mind started to scramble to think up something to tell him 'Oh, crap, I need a lie and I need one fast! THINK HERMIONE, THINK!!!' "We just met a couple of days ago and I don't want to take it too far, too fast for now." She breathed out a sigh of relief when he seemed to have bought it.

"No, no, that's fine. I mean I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable, if you're not ready for something." Severus said very reluctantly trying not to let the dissatisfaction seep into his voice. He looked down in the pool, let go of her and started to make his way over to the edge of the pool to get out and dry off. Severus pulled himself out of the water, and picked up a towel, he had brought out, as the cool air hit him. He dried off and pulled the fluffy, white towel around his waist and headed in the house, the whole time not looking back but still feeling eyes looking at him the entire time.

Hermione took him in as he told her he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, but she heard the pain that was in his voice and also the pain that was in his eyes. She was about to say something until he let go of her and swam towards the pool to get out. She wanted to call out to him, to call him back to her and apologize to him. But she kept her tongue in her mouth and stood there stoically. She watched in bewilderment as his back muscles sprang to life as he lifted himself out and then return to normal, as she was now looking at his backside as he picked up the towel. Hermione felt her mouth go dry as he dried himself off and wrap the towel around his waist. Again she almost called out to him, almost ran over to him and beg him to forgive her, but again she kept quiet.

As Severus ambled into the house, Hermione flipped on to her back and floated there for awhile trying not the think about him but also trying to memorize the feel of his lips, the muscles just clenching beneath her eager hands as she explored him inch by inch. The light blue sky soon turned to more phenomenal shades of pinks and oranges and purples. Hermione swam over to the steps and walked up, feeling the cold bite of the wind that had not touched her while she was in the water. She quickly walked over to her towel and dried off; loving the way the fluff of the towel sheltered her and took her in passing no judgment on her actions.

Hermione wrapped the towel around her now dry body and walked into the air conditioned house. She made her way over to the stairs, but when she saw Severus sitting in front of the television she practically ran up the stairs, trying to avoid the moment. Once she got within her room, she collapsed down on to her bed. 'What am I going to do?'

****

**A/N: Alright that's it for chapter 3, hope you liked it, review please I'm very insecure! Oh and thanks to cleolinda on , I used one of her words, Sirius-dog, in my story, it's from her story, movies in 15 minutes: Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, read it, it's the funniest thing I've ever read. Thanks to all of the people who have reviewed. **


	4. A Good Old Party

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 4: A Good Old Party

****

"What am I going to do?" Severus asked the empty living room. He thought back to the wonderful kiss in the pool that they had shared, she seemed to have enjoyed it, at least he thought she did. But then what was the problem? He sighed as a thought popped into his head, 'She must not have liked it, it probably didn't mean anything to her and she just wanted to let me down easily with hurting my feelings.' To this, the Severus that he would become bubbled up to the surface as the scowl played across his face. "Treat me like this will she? Nobody treats me like this." He growled, getting very livid. He jumped up and was about to run to Hermione's room, when the pang in his heart stopped him and made him fall back down on the couch. "Oh, who am I kidding, I could never be angry with her, she means everything to me, now" Severus sat back down and just sighed deeply as the feelings over took him. 'I have to leave her, I will do nothing but hurt her, and I need to leave her as soon as possible, for her own sake.' The thought left him a bit shaken but determined none the less about what he must do.

Severus got up and walked up the stairs and stopped just outside of her room. "Just do it, just get it over with and then you can leave." He whispered to try and give himself more courage. Eventually, he lifted an arm and rapped on the door, quietly, as he was hoping she wouldn't take notice of him and he could just escape downstairs. "Hermione can I come in and talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, hold on one second." 'Oh, No!' Hermione pulled on her t-shirt and checked the mirror to make sure she looked Ok. In a fit, she noticed her frizzy-frizzy hair and grabbed a brush to try and calm it in a few short seconds.

"Hermione, are you OK in there?" She heard Severus through the door and began to panic. But the logical side took over as she put her brush down calmly and collected herself with a few steadying deep breathes.

Hermione walked over to the door and opened it abruptly, notably startling Severus. "Yes?" Hermione asked him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Um...I...uh..." Severus mumbled along trying to get the words out while trying so hard to focus on her red, beautiful lips. Hermione smiled at him as he was at a loss for words for the second time in two days. She thought about how she had never, ever seen him without words in the past six years of being in his potions class. "Um... what I'm trying to say is..."

"Yeah? Come on, you can talk to me about anything." Hermione said trying to get him to spit it out without prodding him too much, as she knew that would eventually make his dangerous temper flare up, like a dragon that was just smacked in the rear by fool hearty dragon tamers.

"I think that tomorrow, I'm going to go and find Dumbledore so I can get back to my own time." Severus said this in a very quick and almost inaudible voice.

"What?!?" Hermione questioned as her face fell. Whatever she was expecting to hear, that without doubt, wasn't it. 'It's for the best' she thought blinking the tears out of her eyes. 'Not here, don't let him see you cry. Come on, Hermione, head high.' "O...OK. Um...I guess that it's probably for the best anyway, you need to get back to your time so nothing bad happens."

"Yeah, so I had better get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a big day. I'll need to wake up early and leave as soon as possible. So Goodnight, Hermione." Severus walked out of the doorway, trying tremendously hard not to look into Hermione's eyes for fear of turning back around.

"Goodnight, Severus" Hermione whispered to the now closed door. She felt the hot tears falling unreservedly down her cheeks to her neck. 'What am I doing crying over him?' she thought to herself. She had known that this was going to come to pass before long but that didn't make her heart hurt any less. She ran over the memories of the past couple of days and felt a smile crack on to her face when she remembered seeing him for the first time. But when her thoughts got to the first kiss she felt her lips pout and her fingers tingle at just the sheer thought of her hands in his hair and roaming without restraint over his skin. 'Do I love him?' Her more romantic side asked. 'No, Hermione, you've known him for two days,' her logical side said, 'this is all just lust, just lust.' It may have been but just lust but the thought of the skin to skin contact with him made her face flush into a profound red and her heart beat faster and faster.

"But I can't just ask him to stay." She told herself. "He needs to go back to where he belongs." With her mind sort of made up, Hermione pulled the covers of her bed back and fell in, not really tired but mentally and emotionally exhausted. The last thing she thought was, 'he belongs with me, with me forever!'

****

Sirius was taking his time walking around the park he knew so well. For the past couple of months he had enjoyed being able to walk around in his natural form and in daylight. People still were weary of him, but he didn't care nor did he notice them too much, as he always had his head to the sky, watching the clouds and the sun.

Harry and Remus approached Sirius from behind, he watched as he deftly maneuvered around people and dogs and ducks. Harry ran up to him and punched him hard on the shoulder, primarily to get Sirius's attention.

"Oh, hey Harry, Remus! Harry, I didn't expect to see you out of the house. I would have thought you would be gushing over another love letter to Hermione" Sirius stated flatly knowing this would get a rise out of the younger man.

"Shut up, you old dog. But I am concerned about Hermione."

"Who isn't, with her spending so much time by herself?"

"Well, yeah, but she hasn't written to me at all and even in the letter she seemed distant and not really thinking about me at all. I love her Sirius but I don't really know if she loves me back." Harry sighed with a quiet desperation.

"Well, would you really blame her, Harry?" To this Harry looked up very shocked and hurt that Sirius would say this, let alone even think it. He was about to say something but Sirius stopped him by talking himself. "Now, don't be upset with me. But if you were her what would you do? Your best friend calls you up and says 'I know we've been very good friends for almost seven years but I've been lusting after you for a long time and I think I love you.' Be glad that she didn't scream and run right off the train!" The three of them had to have a laugh at the image of Hermione jumping off the Hogwarts Express screaming like a banshee.

"No, I guess you're right, mate. Wow, I never realized that's what I did to her." Harry laughed as he thought back to that day on the train, and the look of surprise on Hermione's face.

"You've been spending too much time around us old men." Sirius hung an arm around Remus's neck in a kind of fraternal way. "I think it's time for a good old Weasley visit. What do you say?"

"Is it a party?" Remus asked in a much staged question. This had definitely been rehearsed a few times before.

"Of course, any time you add 'good old' to anything it immediately becomes a party. Didn't you know that?"

Harry just shook his head at the man. "You really are odd. You know." Harry said with a look of philosophical thought on his face. "I think my dad was right."

"About what, my boy?"

"You should have made the change to dog permanent." Harry said this with a straight face but a moment later Harry was rolling on the ground laughing, as was Remus when he saw the look on Sirius's face.

"Shut up, you two, or I'll hex you into oblivion!" This just made the two laugh even harder until they were crying.

Remus was the first to speak up. "Oh, don't pout. We're just kidding around with you."

"And besides the party sounds fantastic. I haven't seen Ron all summer." Sirius and Remus looked at Harry with a look that said 'Wow are you stupid, summer has only been a week long.' "And shut up, I know summer just started but I turn off my brain in the summer."

Sirius smiled and said something under his voice that sounded suspiciously like "obviously". But Harry let it go at the prospect of seeing one of his best friends.

****

"So, Molly, it's alright we come and visit for a while?" Sirius said having his head stuck in the turquoise flames, his face showing in the Weasley fireplace.

"Of course, Sirius, we've had the whole family down here for the past week and would love more company. I know Ron looks a bit trampled from all of his brothers, and even Ginny is picking on him a bit. Come down as soon as you can, we are having the celebration for Fred and George's shop in a couple of hours." Molly Weasley looked a bit sleep deprived but still very happy, she would forever be a mom. No man would want to be at the receiving end of her wrath if he were to ever hurt any of her children or her 'adopted' children, like Harry and Hermione. Sirius and Remus had only seen it happen once before when Charlie was in his 5th year. He still didn't think they had regrew that part of the forest yet. But he shook his head, so he could get back to the present.

"Alright, Molly, we'll be there in a few hours."

"Oh, is Hermione coming? I know she's been stuck at home all by herself since her mum and dad left for Paris." Molly wondered, worry penetrating her voice.

Sirius shook his head. "No, Harry owled her last night and she had said she wants to spend the month alone."

"Oh well, that's too bad. I know Ron was excited to see her. I think he may have a little crush on her." In the background Sirius could hear laughter and 'Oh mum. I can't believe you said that!' coming from Ron. 'Hush wittle Ronniekins, you never told us about a little girlfriend.' 'Well, at least he has good taste! Hermione's grown up to be right hot!' Sirius laughed as Fred and George stated this fact to the whole room, which consisted essentially of boys.

"Well, I leave you to handle those boys of yours, Molly." Sirius said mirth filling his tone of voice.

The floo ended with Sirius pulling his head out of the fireplace still shaking with laughter. "Alright Harry, Remus, lets go get ready. We're going to the Weasley's and it feels like I haven't eaten in a few days!"

"Sirius," Remus looked at him very seriously. "You ate about an hour ago, I'm sure you can survive another 2 hours before you stuff your face like a hippogriff again. Gods, I'm surprised you aren't a Weasley with the way you eat."

"Shut up, Moony! You eat like an old lady and cook like one too." Harry and Sirius burst out laughing. "I know Harry, for his birthday we can get him one of the French Maid outfits."

Harry joined into the friendly teasing. "And an old duster, with the feathers and all."

Remus pulled out his wand. "Oh a feather duster, what a good idea!" he quickly turned Sirius into a French Maid with a feather duster and black high heeled shoes, even the accent was there.

"I am so going to kill you Remus Lupin. Get me out of this OUTFIT!!" Sirius shrieked as loud as he possibly could. But it took another hour and a half to get Remus to change him back, all the while Harry as snapping as many photos as possible; wanting to show the Weasley's what his dear god-father had been doing earlier that day.

****

Harry, Remus, and Sirius, still with the accent, flooed over to the Weasley's ready to eat and eat. The smell of food infiltrated their scenes as they walked out of the fireplace, dusting the soot off.

Molly ran up to Harry, as he was the last to get their. "Oh, Harry, my dear, how have you been?" She instantly went into mother mode. "Are you hungry dear? I'm glad I made a lot of food; all you boys look so thin." The 'hellos' were made and Sirius and Remus went off to talk with Molly and Arthur as Harry stood there to talk to his friends.

"Harry how have you been, mate?" Ron asked him finally tearing him away from the clan. "Have you talked to Hermione at all this week, is she going to come?"

Harry shook his head. "I talked to her last night but she, again, said that she wanted to spend this month alone. I wish she was coming I feel so distant from her."

Ron ruffled Harry's hair and laughed a bit. "Oh, come on man, did you really expect her to come? She is by herself with her summer homework what did you think she was going to happen. I would be careful; she's probably having an affair with those bloody books of hers." Wrong mental images popped into both of their heads as they laughed and went outside to join everyone else for dinner, as the Burrow would most definitely not hold all of the people invited.

The food, and drink, was overflowing, as people ate more then they could handle. Molly soon brought out cherry tarts and puddings for dessert; this too was eaten quickly with conversation in the air. After dinner a quiddich match was held, but Harry and Ron opted to stay out of it, instead they went around the other side of the field to talk.

"What's up, Harry? You haven't said a whole lot during dinner. Are you still bummed that Hermione didn't show up?" Ron said concerned for his friend.

"Well, yeah I was really hoping she would come, but still it's nice to have a kind of boys-night-out." Harry abruptly cheered as Ginny made a great goal against Bill.

Ron was clapping his hands as well, for his little sister. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Ron stated, as a loud belch escaped from his mouth. "Come on let's go back and get more of that tart." They stood up and walked away lightly beating up on each other.

****

Arthur Weasley sat down next to Remus. "So, Remus, how have things been over at Grimauld?"

"Oh hi, Arthur, things have been going great. Sirius seems to be adjusting better now that Harry is here. But Harry is a different matter." Remus looked as Harry and Ron slowly made their way over to the table. "He sometimes, gets an isolated look to him, but I'm sure that's just because of Voldemort. He seems to be gaining more power but hopefully Severus can tell us more about all of that. I think the end of this is close."

"I know it does feel different some how, different than before. But enough with the unpleasentries how are things with Harry and our Miss. Granger?"

"Well, things are fine." Remus chuckled a little bit at a memory. "He owled her 2 nights ago at 1:30 in the morning and got a reply back that night. So hopefully things will get better when her parents get back. Harry has been worried that Hermione doesn't return his feelings."

Arthur laughed a bit. "Ah, can you remember it, being 17 and in love." They shared a snort of laughter at this and told stories of their own first loves and first girlfriends, but the discussion stopped once Molly over heard and came up behind her husband and smacked him squarely in the back of the head.

****

**A/N: Thanks people for reading this. I hope it doesn't suck too bad, I wrote it in about 1 day. And I thought I should give some time to Harry, Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys, I've been neglecting them a bit. And for the 'Good old Party" reference, thanks to the writers of Buffy for that one. Don't worry next chapter will be back to Hermione and Snape. Keeping reading and review. Thanks to my beta reader, bloomgirl247. **

**And to all those who have been screaming that Dumbledore needs to be contacted, don't worry it will be in the next chapter.**


	5. A Month of Loving and Leaving

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 5: A Month of Loving and Leaving

The Weasley's party had gone off without a hitch. It was about 11:30 and the people were filling inside. Quiet discussions were held all around the house. Sirius, who had lost the French accent at about 9:00, was talking with Bill and Charlie. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were off in their own little corner. Fred and George were no where to be found when Molly Weasley had looked around the room.

At about 1:00 in the morning the guests were finally leaving or going up to their beds, to sleep off the drinks that they had consumed.

"So, Arthur, Molly, thank you much for letting us come over and eat all of your wonderful food." Sirius said with a large smile and handshake with Arthur and a peck on the cheek with Molly.

"Oh, your welcome boys. You can come over anytime you want to." Molly exclaimed.

"There is always plenty of food. There has to be now that the twins can come back in the house. Where are they anyway? I haven't seen them for a few hours." Arthur noticed, looking around towards to clock that told where the family members are.

"I think they are still outside. I've heard explosions out there, so I'm guessing they are trying out new products for the store." Harry assumed as smoke filtered into the house. "They've opened it already, haven't they? I hope so, I can't wait to get in there during the school year, the teachers won't know what hit them." Harry laughed at this but was hit by Remus, who had immediately went into teacher mode. "Oh, sorry, Professor Lupin. I forgot your going to be there next year. And besides it wasn't like I was going to play jokes on you, well often anyway." They all laughed at this as Harry was soundly hit once more just for posterity.

"Well, we had better be off. Thanks again Molly, Arthur! Good-Bye." Remus shoved Harry forcefully towards the fireplace.

The Weasley's waved good-bye to their friends, as the three of them flooed home.

Severus could clearly hear the crickets chirping outside from the open window. He felt the wind blow through the window and heard wind chimes from a few houses down. He smelt the lavender flowers from outside and wanted so much to just be able to sleep, but no matter how hard he tried, sleep seemed to elude him. This moment in time, as he would reflect all through his life, was the changing point, the point where he knew what he wanted and how much he wanted it. He wanted so badly to run up to her rooms, burst through the door dramatically, take her in his arms, and kiss her. But his mind quickly entered the conversation he was having with himself. 'Come on, Severus, don't think like that. Remember how she reacted to the kiss, how she practically ran away when she saw you.' He heart replied strongly. 'Yeah, but I just love her more than I have any other girl. I won't love another as I love her.'

His internal struggle lasted through the night, as this was the beginning of his classic insomnia that would last throughout his life, well, for a while, anyway. 'Just make it through the night, and tomorrow you can leave so you won't ever make her be in pain.'

The next morning Hermione woke with a splitting headache, which made her hardly be able to see. She contributed this to the loss of Severus, as she was sure. Hermione hoped that he was gone so she wouldn't have to say good-bye to him. That pain would be worse then the migraine.

But no, as she walked downstairs, there he was sitting there on the couch. Looking glum and waiting there for her.

Severus had been up and waiting for about an hour. He was sitting there on the couch watching the stairs so he could see her one last time before he left her side for good, or at least until they met up at Hogwarts, which was the future he didn't know yet.

"Good morning, Severus." Hermione whispered stiffly. "I thought you would have left by now." To this harsh statement, he looked up at her with something she didn't very well expect to see in his eyes, hurting, pain, and most of all, heartbreak.

"Oh." He said in a very docile voice as he suddenly became very interested in the carpet. "Well, I wanted to say good-bye before I went to see Dumbledore and thank you for letting me stay in your home and intrude on your life." He ended this statement with a tone of bitterness. But he still would not look into her eyes, which bothered her to no end. He feared if he caught her eye then he would snog her for all he was worth and stay there, no matter the complications.

'Stay with me forever.' She almost voiced. She was desperate for him to stay but didn't want to force him if it wasn't what he wanted. "O...Ok. Your welcome, Severus, have a safe trip." She told him, tears glistening unshed in her eyelashes.

"I will, Hermione." It soon became way too quiet in the little house between the two people. "I guess I'll see you. Bye." To that he walked over to the front door and took his black cloak off the hooks. Severus quickly moved over to the entrance of her home. Turning the knob quietly he stepped out and walked out on to the concert of her porch. The slam of the door was just a realization he had left his love for the rest of his life.

He had walked around the back, and was about to apperate to the gates of Hogwarts, when he heard his name being screamed. Severus heard the front door slam and footfalls that sounded like... 'Oh, Gods, she running to me!' He turned around and saw Hermione sprinting towards him, her hair was blowing in the wind and the rain that had started to fall, freckled her clothes.

"Don't leave." Hermione cried. "Don't leave, you can't"

"What?" Severus asked incredulously but still happier then he had been in any time in his life. The smile he wore made his face light up and his eyes brightened at just the sight of her.

"Well... I mean at least stay with me until my parents get back from their trip in France." She said this with a pleading voice which was echoed by the pleading and poignant look on her face.

Severus just smiled more as he looked upon her face. "Well, if you're going to stand here and beg me for it, I guess I have to comply." He said this with a teasing tone but it still came across as grateful and overjoyed. Hermione had finally asked him to stay.

She sauntered over to him and put her hands on her hips, trying for angry, but getting more of amusement. "Shut up and get over here and KISS ME, you jerk!" Severus didn't need to be told twice and was only to happy to obey her every wish and command. He dashed over to her, picked her up from the ground, and kissed her with more passion then either of them had ever experienced.

The lightening trickled across the sky, lighting up the faces of the two lovers as they embraced each other. Thunder rumbled above them and made the houses slightly shake. And the rain was pouring over Severus and Hermione in sheets. They were being drenched but didn't care, because they were holding each other.

The kiss wasn't timid or shy, like their first kiss, but was forceful and commanding. Severus guided Hermione to him and kept control of her by wrapping his arms around her waist and having no intention of letting go. Hermione melted into the kiss and into him. Her mind was whirring, no thought was coherent, and everything was jumbled. But one notion clearly stood out, like a beacon of light in the dark. 'So this is how it is going to be for the rest of my life.'

The month between them was full of blissful moments, happiness, and joy. The memories ran together, but everything stood out as different, no one thing was ever the same. No fight was the same, and they did have some great ones, no touch the same, they were all electric as the skin to skin contact was made, making the both of them shudder, and every single kiss was extraordinary, each was a different feeling, and each associated with a different memory, every one could be remembered at a moments notice. But their heaven was soon to come crashing down.

Over this month it was discussed that they needed to call on Headmaster Dumbledore, for his help. Every day they would say, 'this evening we are going to owl the Professor and ask him for his help.' But it would always be forgotten intentionally or not. The days of saying 'tonight, we will owl him, tonight,' soon filtered away as they knew that they would ask for Dumbledore when they needed him, and right now all they needed was each other.

The day before Hermione's parents were to return arrived way too rapidly for both of their likings.

The dinner, which Hermione had made, knowing it was Severus's favorite, was tense. Neither knew what to say to make the pain go away, and neither wanted to say anything to break the delicate silence. After dinner they walked silently into the living room and watched a movie together, still not talking but holding each other. The movie even before it was started was quickly forgotten.

When it was over, Hermione got up to clean up the house for her mom and dad's arrival. But as she walked up the stairs her lover's voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"So this is how it's going to be, huh?" Severus stood up anger penetrating his voice as it broke through the silence.

"Well, what do you want me to say, Severus?" Hermione said as the tears built up in her eyes. "I don't want you to leave me, but I know that we are going to Dumbledore before my parents get home. I can't very well have you meet my parents. Gods, that would be an interesting conversation, 'Hey, I want you to meet my boyfriend. He's from the past so we have to get him to Dumbledore as soon as possible. If we don't, all of time could be ruined forever." Hermione asked all of this with tears falling down her cheeks.

Seeing her cry Severus raced up the stairs taking two at a time, when he reached her, he hugged her close to his body.

"Hermione, I know I have to leave. But there's something I have to say to you before I do leave. I need you to know that 'I love you' and that I always will." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips feathery.

But she pushed him away, when he said those words. "No, NO!! You can't tell me that you love me right before you leave me. I couldn't take it. My heart is already breaking, don't make it hurt worse." She shouted not caring as the tears flowed generously down her face.

The hurt in Severus's face was replaced by understanding and pain for Hermione.

"Don't! Don't you tell me this! Speak from your heart!" He shook her shoulders. "Look at me! I love you, Hermione. It's plain and simple. I! LOVE..."

But Hermione reached in and kissed him and kissed him hard. 'That shut him up,' she thought smugly. "I love you too Severus. I always will love you. Lose your path and I won't let you go." The statement was backed up by the forcefulness in her voice.

Severus picked her up and led her up the remaining stairs and towards her bedroom.

The month for Harry had passed by so slowly he was sure that the fates were to doing it on purpose. "Hey guys," one of the fates would say, "10 pounds says that by the end of this month Harry Potter will be pulling his hair out and be bouncing off the walls." The bet was reinforced by two others speaking up at the same time. "20!"

Well, they were right!

He just wanted this month to end so he could get Hermione here as soon as possible. First off, not being near her was killing him. Secondly, the looks he was getting from Sirius and Remus were getting so annoying he swore he would strangle them both just for the sheer pleasure of it.

He was contemplating his insanity when Sirius spoke up behind him, which made Harry jump up about five feet in the air.

"Hey there Harry! What are you up to, my boy?" Sirius laughed as he saw the frazzled look Harry was expressing along with annoyance and anger.

"Nothing just sitting here, wondering how time has been moving so slowly." Harry spouted out.

"Ah, missing our dear little Hermione, are you?" Not waiting for an answer Sirius continued. "Well, that's just tough son, 'cause you have to wait another...what... 4 days until you can officially owl Hermione at exactly midnight. I swear Harry, if you take this stalker thing a bit more seriously I think Hermione might hex your balls right off."

Harry unconsciously cringed at this, knowing that Hermione would do it, too. "Of course, I miss her. I guess I'm just kinda nervous that she will meet some Muggle boy in her neighborhood and choose him over me."

"Harry, what women in her right mind would choose someone over you?" Sirius said keeping a straight face for as long as he could before chuckling at his next statement. "No, wait... I think that answer is every single girl out there." He got smacked in the face by Harry swinging a pillow at him. "But I'm sure you have a pretty good chance with the guys." Harry stood up and chased him out of the room, laughing right along with his god-father.

With Sirius and Lupin to keep his mind occupied, Harry made it through the next few days, as time seemed to fly by.

Soon the day before Hermione's parents were to come home got here and Harry was excitedly watching the clock counting down seconds until it was midnight so he could owl Hermione. But at the suggestion of Lupin, he told Hedwig, who had been cooped up for the last three days to fly around a while before delivering the letter.

Finally the hours had melted away until it was 11:00. Then the minutes disappeared and when Harry looked up at the clock it was 11:50.

All three of them were gathered around the clock counting down from 60, like it was New Years. "5...4...3...2...1!!!" They all shouted together and celebrated. But soon Lupin and Sirius were shouting for Harry to get upstairs and send his letter to Hermione.

Harry got into his room and began sorting through all of the letters that he had written to Hermione so he could find the best one. Giving up on looking, as there seemed to be thousands there, Harry got out a quill and a piece of parchment and wrote out a letter to send.

Finally at 15 minutes after midnight, Hedwig flew off into the black to deliver the most important letter Harry had ever sent.

Remus and Sirius watched Harry tear up the floor trying to get up to his room. They chortled at this and thought back to a simpler time.

"You know, Padfoot," Remus said slipping into the familiar nicknames, "Harry is exactly like his father."

"Just what I was thinking, Moony, whenever they get obsessed with a women, it's all downhill from there." They laughed slightly at this as they remembered their times back in school. The four of them couldn't be separated, well at least they couldn't until Lily came into James's life, but none of them cared. They loved each other and got along perfectly, unless you count that 3 days of the month when two of them would rip your head off if you so much as looked at them funny.

Soon, their reminiscing was cut short when they heard the window in Harry's room opening and a happy Hedwig was squawking and soaring its way towards the girl.

**A/N: Hey people, thanks for reading. And I know that I kinda left off with a sex scene, sorry, but don't worry it'll be up next chapter. Please review I love to know how I'm doing, especially flames. There is the mention of Dumbledore, not what you wanted I know but it will all be explained later. BYE!**


	6. The Loss of All the Important Things

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 6: The Loss of All the Important Things

Severus had kicked open the door to her room and carried her over the threshold in a very symbolic manner. Parents were forgotten, friends were forgotten, and all the consequences were left in the dust.

Hermione giggled a little bit as Severus tossed her on her bed.

"I love to hear you laugh, it's so perfect." He said with all the sincerity he could muster. This statement just made her go about 3 shades of pink and red.

He laid down next to her in the bed, running his fingers through her hair as he stared into her eyes, her soulful, deep, brown eyes. Hermione leaned towards him and kissed him with a shy passion. She pulled back and glided her palm down his face and on to his cheek. "I love everything you do." He looked up at her words.

"I've never heard anybody say that to me before. Nobody has ever said anything even remotely like that before." Severus said being drenched in her stare, and loved the way she looked at him like he was perfect and all she ever needed.

Reading his mind, Hermione voiced his thoughts. "I love the way you look at me. It makes me feel so perfect. Like I'm all you will ever need." She ran her fingers through his hair, silky, not greasy what so ever. Talking was all but forgotten as he kissed her again, silencing her.

Severus rolled her over so that she was on her back and he had his full weight on her. She squirmed a bit trying to get more comfortable, but Severus took this as he was crushing her. He started to move off to the side. But she pulled him back. "And where do you think you're going, I was just getting comfortable." He smiled and returned to the former position. Hermione deepened the kiss, pulled him closer by wrapping arms around the back of his head. He prodded her mouth begging for entrance to a place which held the sweetest candy he had ever tasted. Their tongues mingled and danced neither wanting nor gaining control over the other; the fight was with time, as it sped up to an alarming rate.

Severus broke the kiss trying to get air, he licked and nipped her neck all the way up to her ears to which he whispered sweet nothings in. These made her smile and shudder feeling his hot and wanted breath on her neck and ears. But she wanted to pleasure him as well; Hermione kissed his jaw line, letting her tongue roam around it and up to the very sensitive spot behind his earlobes. Severus gasped and jumped when she did this, but after the electric charge he moaned in a primal way.

Hermione pulled away from his spot and started to undo her shirt, kissing his chest on the way down.

Severus leapt back a little when he realized what she was doing. "Hermione are you sure you want to do this? Once we start I don't think I will be able to stop." He gasped out as he fought to fill his lungs, as she led her lips on to his stomach.

"If I didn't want this…" She said blowing hot air on his skin. "I never would have started. I love you, Severus!" She kissed him. This proclamation of love left him speechless as she tossed his shirt on to the floor.

Severus was working on the buttons to her shirt, as there seemed to be hundred of them. Finally, getting fed up with them, he ripped the rest of them off. The buttons went flying and clattered across the floor. "Hey I liked that shirt." Hermione said laughing.

He laughed and kissed his way down towards to the lacy blue bra that was separating him from what he longed to see. He slipped the straps from her shoulders and bit them slightly. This action made her shudder as he reached around her back, and searched for the hooks to get rid of the material. Hermione started laughing at his frustration. "Their in the front, love."

"Ah, easy access, planning something?" He asked innocently.

"Me? Never!" Hermione looked offended until he kissed her lips engagingly.

Severus un-hooked the clasps in front getting caught up in her milky white breasts. He saw how her nipples were now peaking and rosy, drinking in the sight. He dipped down and kissed the valley between her breasts, which made her moan and shiver, nipping every once in a while just to feel her jump under him.

Hermione reached down and un-did his pants, pulling them down to reveal no boxers underneath. She gasped at the sight. Now Hermione was no slut, but she had seen a man before. I guess that's the consequences of having two guys as your best friends, and a not so sweet encounter with a certain professional Quidditch player, which she tries to never remember. "You perv." She laughed.

"What?" He asked naively.

They laughed together until their eyes caught each others. They kissed where they had left off. Hermione felt her skirt being pulled down and smiled as her underwear went with it.

Severus rolled on her and was poised to enter her for the first time. "Look me in the eyes. I want to see you when I'm inside of you." He said very passionately.

Hermione did as she was asked of and looked up into his eyes. She screamed a bit as he went in inside her slowly, not wanting to cause her pain. He waiting until she relaxed against him and started moving, building up friction. They reached their climax together, having their eyes locked from the moment her entered her.

But at the moment they floated down from heaven, Hermione's parents unexpectedly walked in the door.

"Oh, do you think we should go wake her, Danny?"

"No, no we'll leave that surprise until the morning, my love; she seemed very tired when I called today."

They both walked up the stairs, hand in hand, and crossed past Hermione door. Her father stopped for a second and put his ear to the door hearing voice.

"Stay here, Tess. I heard a noise in Hermie's room; I need to go get something." Her father said trying to stay calm but fearing the worst had come to his daughter.

Mr. Granger ran into his room and found what he was looking for up in his closet, way in the back. He raced back in the hall and stood next to his wife, ready to open the door.

"No, put that away, you're going to hurt someone with that. She's probably just talking on the phone or something. Danny!" Mrs. Granger said desperately, not wanting him to injure their daughter.

But her husband just shushed her and started to open the door, to find what was going on in Hermione's room.

Coming back down from the climax, Severus slide off of her and rolled onto his side, wanting to get the best look at her he could. He draped an arm around Hermione's hip, grazing his fingers up and down her side, which caused her to get gooseflesh. They just sat there next to each other embracing the other in their loving presence.

Severus was the first to speak up. "I love you so much, Hermione. I'm never going to let you go, that I promise you. If another guy even tried to touch you, I would kill him. You are mine, forever, you are mine." He said this with the most loving and possessive voice Hermione had ever heard. She knew this was the man that was supposed to stand by her side for the rest of her life.

"I love you too. I will not let you let me go. I will fight for you tooth and nail." She laughed at his confusion as she realized that, that was an all too muggle saying. "I won't let another man touch me, no one could ever compare to you. And besides, I've had you claimed as mine since the first time I kissed you." She kissed him, still glowing from the pleasure of what they had just shared. Neither of them heard the door open silently. Only when the door slammed against the wall did they notice some one was in the room with them.

Mr. Granger tip-toed into the room and saw very little only having the moonlight, from the open window, as light, but he saw enough. He was infuriated to find a boy, in bed, with his baby, and he was daring to kiss her. His face grew red with rage as he flipped on the light finding that his assumptions before had been correct. His mind panicked trying to rationalize what he was seeing before him. Then a thought popped into his head. This boy must have raped her, he must have forced his precious daughter to do that horrid act with him, and this boy was going to pay for taking away his baby's innocence.

"GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!" He screamed out with all of the air in his lungs and at the same time slamming the door wide open. This made the two lovers to spring apart from each other. He shook with anger as his wife just stood next to him still too much in shock to speak up.

"Dad, what are you doing? Put that down!" Hermione screamed out in a frantic way knowing that her father was capable of what he wanted so much to do. She pulled the sheets up covering herself, trying to give herself a sense that she was in control of something. Severus pulled his love to him trying to comfort and protect her, not wanting pain to ever enter her life again.

"DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER!" Mr. Granger hissed out as he saw the boy wrap a protective arm around Hermione's waist pulling her to him. "Get away from her." He spit out venomously wanting to get that…that contamination as far away from his Hermie as possible.

"Mr. Granger, please, put that down." Severus stood up, putting a blanket around his naked form. He raised his arms up in a defenseless manner. But even he knew that events were going much too fast for it to stop now and without a bitter ending. "I love your daughter, Hermione, very much." But it was too little…too late.

The silence could have been cut with a knife a second before the shot rang out. Time moved in slow motion as everyone saw the trigger being pulled, the bullet flying through the air, and finally reaching its target.

Severus felt the white hot pain of the metal penetrate his soft flesh and into his abdomen. He gasped for breath as he fell the floor, coughing and sputtering as the blood flooded out of his stomach and mouth.

Hermione was the first to react as she saw the love of her life be shot by her father. "NO! NO!" She screamed hysterically, running over and clinging to him.

Severus tried in vain to fill his lungs with air. "Hermione, I…I love you. Don't…

remember me now...remember…remember me before, how I loved you and how we kissed…please don't forget me… I love you." Severus was gasping for breath that caught in him. Until finally his eyes slid shut and his chest stopped moving up and down.

Hermione shrieked out trying to fight the impossible of what had just happened. "No, no. Not you, please not you, Severus, I love you. Please don't leave me, not now, not now." Hermione whispered, crying over him. She leaned over him and kissed his rapidly cooling lips one last time, her parents were completely forgotten. The tears rushed down her cheeks. She sobbed, barely taking in air, fighting reality.

Hermione stood up and with more rage then she had ever been filled with slapped her father hard, and walked out of the room. She passed by her mother, brushing her arm, not looking at her mother knowing this would make her cry even harder. No, she didn't blame her mom, she never would. She knew that this was all her father's fault.

Hermione reached the hallway and leaned her forehead, against the wall, crying her eyes out. Nothing could stop the tears. Her red eyes, cried out the tears as her red mouth cursed her father's name and all he had ever done. But a scream invaded her silence.

"Mum!" Hermione raced into her bedroom to see what was wrong with her all too quite mother. When she ran to her mother, and saw her staring, mouth agape, at a single spot in the room.

Hermione turned around and screamed. The place where Severus had lain, now only housed a pool of dark red blood, still spreading across the white carpet.

"Where is he? What happened to him?" Hermione looked towards her father, who was also staring at the stain in the middle of the room, still in shock. "What did you do to him? Where is he?" Again Hermione slapped him as hard as she could.

But her father just stood their, staring at the pool of blood that still grew as if an unseen person was there bleeding to death. "N…nothing, he just disappeared, just gone…" he stammered out, not flinching as she slapped him. At this moment, Hermione vowed this would be that last time she spoke to her father, and it was, for a long, long time, it was.

Hermione ran over to the blood and fell down silently to her knees. She sat there and cried and cried, letting the harsh sound of her wails and shrieks hit the walls of the room and bounce off each other colliding and echoing. She sat there until her legs got numb, until she couldn't even feel them anymore, until her toes took longer to response if she willed them to move. Hermione cried till four in the morning, and then she passed out from exhaustion, sleeping next to the drying pool of blood that belonged to the body of her dead lover.

**Sorry this one is a bit shorter but I thought it was a good place to end it. And wow this chapter took so long to get out. And yes, Tess and Danny are from Ocean's Eleven! I love that movie its one of my favs! With volleyball and school started AHHH! I hardly have enough time to sleep, let alone write. But enjoy it and review, flames and all! Thanks BYE!!!**


	7. The Remembrance of Friends

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 7: The Remembrance of "Friends"

For days and days Hermione stayed in her room, not yet ready to clean up the blood that always looked smaller and smaller everyday, which made her sad to think that the last bit of him was fading from her life. She had not talked to her father since that night; she had not even acknowledged him when he would knock on her door. But her mother had cried with her a few days and had stayed by her side giving her some what comforting advice, never once asking who the boy had been, even though it was eating up her insides.

On the seventh day of her welcomed and wanted depression, Hermione heard a tapping at her bedroom window. She walked over to it, gently sidestepping the pool of blood, and opening the latch of the window, letting in a snowy bird, which she automatically registered as Harry's bird. At seeing his bird, the memories of the train ride and she agreeing to go out with him flooded to her in a horrible fashion. She hastily took the letter, and patted the birds head lovingly.

_Hermione, _

_I know your parents just got home and all, but I was wondering if you could spend some time at Grimauld with us. Please know that we all miss you! Respond soon, so someone can come and pick you up._

_Your good friend and buddy and mate,_

_Harry Potter _

She smiled reading his letter. 'This boy was an odd one.' She thought to herself, but ignoring that she pulled out some spare parchment and wrote a quick note back. All she wanted to do now was to get away from the bad memories and that man, anger always shot up when she thought of him.

_Harry,_

_I can not wait until I get the chance to see you again. I miss all of you, and would love it if one of you could pick me up at 8:00 am tomorrow. Sorry if it is too early but I want to spend as much time with you guys as possible._

_Can't wait to see you,_

_Hermione._

She closed the letter, gave it back to the bird, which immediately flew out of the window and into the blue morning sky.

Tess was sitting at the counter, eating pancakes, and reading the newspaper, when she heard a door open and footsteps clamoring down the stairs. This was an odd sound and she quickly turned her head to see if something had happened.

"Mum." Hermione said noticing her mothers shocked look. "I just got a letter from Harry…and he wants me to come and stay with him, Sirius, and Professor Lupin for a while." This all came out rather fast, so it took a few seconds for her mom to wrap her brain around what her daughter had just said.

"Well, if that's what you want, of course. But I don't want you to be forced in to something you're not ready for. If you want to take time to grieve some more, I think it would be completely appropriate." Mrs. Granger said this with a little too much personal knowledge, but Hermione just nodded her head.

"I know, but it hurts so much to be in that room. Too many bad memories there. I just want to remember the good times we had. Not the bad." A sad look came to Hermione's face as her eyes glistened with ready to shed tears.

"I understand, my dear. But I do request one thing from you."

"Sure, mum, anything you want." Hermione stated a nervous feature flickering across her face.

"One day, I want you to tell me all about him. I want to know how you found him, how you fell in love, what you found out about him, I want to know everything that happened. If he meant that much to you, please tell me when you are ready."

Hermione felt her heart strings pull towards her mother, as she heard the kitchen door open. The man she used to consider a father walked in, and she saw her mother look towards him, nodding her head in encouragement. Hermione braced herself for the encounter.

"So, I told Harry that someone should pick me up at 8:00 in the morning, tomorrow." She grimaced out the last two words as she felt a hand slide on to her shoulder. But as quickly as it came to be there, Hermione shrugged it off and went on talking to her mom like nothing had happened, and no one had touched her. "So, I'm going up to pack." Hermione rushed out of the kitchen and flew up the stairs like a mad hippogriff was chasing her, but with the speed she took to get away from that man, she didn't notice he broke down next to her mother and wept for a long while.

The 8 o'clock bell had tolled and Hermione was waiting patiently in her living room with all of her bags scattered neatly around her. Soon, it was ten after eight and finally a familiar 'pop' was heard and Hermione launched herself into his arms as she immediately recognized the man that just came to her house.

Sirius had appeared in the Granger household and didn't have half a second to take in the surroundings or even recover as Hermione flung herself into him. But this action definitely did not go unnoticed, as Mr. Granger stood in the background feeling a pang of jealousy and hatred as his daughter hugged the scruffy looking stranger like he was her father, her loved one.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so glad it was you, I've missed you so much. I'm so happy you're alive. I'd never thought I would ever see you again. It hurt so much when it happened, and we all just fell apart, but you're here now and I'm so happy!" Hermione was crying into his chest and squeezing him so tightly he could hardly breathe.

"Hermione…love…need…air!" He chocked out, but it got her attention as she loosened her grip but didn't completely let him go, as she soaked his outer cloak. "Now, now, love." He cooed to her, brushing the tears away from her face, and lifting her chin so he could see her. "It's OK, Hermione, I'm here. You'd think I'd ever leave you for good. Please, not even the gods could tear me away." Sirius chuckled a bit.

About a minute of reconciliation, Hermione's mom cleared her throat loudly to announce that she wanted to be introduced.

Hermione snapped to reality and spun to look at her mom. "Oh my gods, I'm so sorry. Sirius this is my mum…"

"Tess Granger." Her mother cut in.

"Mum, this is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather." Hermione beamed as she said this, pride and love clearly penetrating her voice.

The two shook hands, and an odd silence followed as Sirius noted that Hermione was deliberately ignoring the other man in the room which he had naturally assumed was her father. So after a tense few moments, he boldly took the initiative and walked the length of the room.

"Hi." He extended his hand towards Mr. Granger. "I'm Sirius Black." Hermione's father shook his hand a little too forcefully, still being a little angry that Hermione seemed to connect with this man better then her own father.

"Hello, I'm Danny Granger, Hermione's fa…" But he couldn't get that last word out as Hermione rushed in-between the two of them, facing Sirius,

"Come on Sirius, let's go. I'm ready." Hermione practically shouted this at him and the look on her face noted that nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

Sirius looked past her and saw the incredibly hurt look on her father's face and couldn't understand what had just happened. But he knew that now was not the time to ask her about it and decided to leave that talk until they were more secluded.

"Alright, Hermione, you've got your things, then?" She nodded but the smile faded as she thought of the one thing she forgot. "Wait Sirius, I need to get something from my room." She ran upstairs and Sirius didn't know if he should follow or not but he did just in case, so she wasn't stuck in her room with a heavy bag.

As quickly as they reached the room, Sirius stopped right in his tracks, in the doorway. The blood was still there and at first, he didn't know if he was just imagining it or what. But he knew it was real when he saw Hermione look down at the blood lovingly and sigh, eyes watering.

Seeing him watch her, Hermione blinked back the tears and put on a fake smile. "All ready let's go and get out of here." She said laughing a bit too much, and again Sirius waited to speak up.

They reached Hermione's bags on the living room floor, and Sirius suddenly charmed them lightweight and smaller, to make for easier traveling.

"Good-bye mum! I will owl you when I get there and have my plans all in line, I promise." Hermione grinned at her mother and waved. "Love you!"

"Bye, 'Mione, love you too, be safe." Her mom called out giving her a friendly wave back.

Her father spoke up. "Love you Hermione, have fun!" He called out desperately but, of course, he was ignored by his daughter.

Not even flinching from the farewell, Hermione stated it was time to leave. The 'pop' was heard a second later. They were, soon, no where to be seen, like there was never anyone else in the room, other then the mother and father. As the realization sunk in, Hermione's father fell to his knees, crying his eyes out. His wife led him to the couch, and comforted him as best she could. But what he needed now was his daughter, his loving, beautiful daughter and her forgiveness.

When solid ground was under Hermione's feet, she blinked many times trying to get her unused eyes to recover from the shockingly bright scenery. When she could finally see, the place was extremely new to her. Sirius had apperated them to a lovely garden. One that smelled of sweet flowers and was filled with the gracefulness of birds, swooping and gliding all around them. The street opposite to them was pristine, not one speck of trash was littering the glorious surroundings. A mother pushed a little carriage as a father had a little boy sitting on his shoulders. Hermione immediately thought of her father and what they used to have but shoved that right out and now began thinking of what she and Severus could never have because of her father.

"Sirius where are we? This isn't Grimauld." The question immediately hit her as stupid. 'Of course, it's not Grimauld you dolt!' A puzzled look donned her face and she looked up at the man. She noticed the serious look on his face and knew exactly why he had brought her to this place.

"Ok, Hermione, what was that back there? And what happened in your room?" Sirius asked very confused by the entire situation.

"What was what about, Sirius? Oh, are you asking how that pool of blood got on my bedroom floor. Or are you talking about the way I treated that man, that scum and bloody BASTARD OF A MAN!!!" Hermione screamed out attracting the attention of several passing people, but not caring because she had gotten out a weeks worth of tension in one sitting.

"Whoa, ok, now I know what Harry and Ron are saying when they say you are bloody scary when you get mad." Sirius said, garnering a shaky laugh from the girl beside him. The two walked over to bench and sat down. "Alright, tell me what happened. Come on, Herm, you can tell me anything."

So Hermione and Sirius sat there as she told him the entire story, of the homeless and timeless wizard that had found her, and loved her. Through the entirety of the story Sirius noted that she had a serene look to her face and had a happy, almost goofy, smile to her. But when she came to the end of the tale, he saw her visibly tense up, her face go red with rage, and her eyes darkening to a deep chocolate, almost black, color. As she finished she let out all of tears she had been holding in. Hermione cried and cried, gripping Sirius so tightly that it was if she let go he would disappear forever.

"Oh, Herm, it's OK, love. Shh…shh" Sirius said in the most soothing voice he could muster. As her wailing, turned to tears, then to silent sobs Sirius spoke up again. "Now I understand why you were acting the way you were. But you said I would know him, that he went to school with us?" Sirius said, clearly stating the 'us' as the Marauders. "What's his name? Maybe I can help you find him, help you re-unite."

But Hermione just sat there looking at the grass under the bench, shaking her head, almost in guilt. "Oh, no thanks Sirius, but I know where he is. I've known for the about seven years." Hermione stated meekly. Sirius sat there as Hermione patiently waited for the memory to click. He just sat there in confusion trying to think of someone Hermione would have known for seven years that went to school…But the train of thought stopped there as it all came together, the realization hit him like a punch in the face.

"Oh, no, Hermione." He shook his head hoping it wasn't true. But he saw her look up with tears in her eyes and some already flowing freely down her cheeks. 'Oh, gods, she really did love him, didn't she?'

His expression immediately turned from repulsion and slight anger to compassion and love, as he saw her cry. He knew right then that she had beaten herself up for it enough already and didn't need someone else calling out her…well not her mistakes but definitely her choices.

"Sirius what am I to do? I don't know what I will do when I get back to school. I can't do that, I just can't and you can't make me do it…" Hermione rambled on in a sort of desperation that just made Sirius's heart brake into a million pieces.

"It's OK; I'll be there, me and Remus both. You can visit us anytime you need to. We're always here for you, sweetie." Sirius wrapped his arms around her shaking form and let her cry herself out again. Hermione finally let go of him and gained more control over herself.

"You, OK to go now?" He said softly still hearing her sniffle.

"Yeah, Sirius, thank you so much I really needed this. Saying this around Harry would have been so awkward." Harry brought up the image of her agreeing to go out with him and a new sense of dread filled her. "Oh, gods! Harry! What am I going to do about him?" She asked frantically.

"I think you should go out with him. I think it will be good for you." He said this, but cut her off as he saw her mouth open to protest. "Hermione, you need to begin to move on. I'm not telling you that you need to fall in love with him or that you even need to like him more then a friend. But you need to move on."

Hermione nodded her head in defeat. "Maybe, but I really don't know, Sirius. I do still completely love Severus." To this Sirius shuddered a bit at hearing her say his Snape's name with such affection.

"Are you ready to go?" Sirius said trying to get away from that topic before she started to cry hysterically again.

"Yeah, let's go. But can we walk or is it too far away?" Hermione said knowing she needed time before Harry jumped on her asking when they could go out on a date.

"Sure, it's only about a block from here." He decided to explain further seeing Hermione's confused expression. "I used to come here in my Sirius-dog form when I needed my freedom from that wretched place." Sirius stood up and took Hermione's hand to help her up. And to that, they set off towards 12 Grimauld Place.

**A/N: Thanks again to people who read this. Whoo, took me about a day to get this chapter out, I was on a writing spree. **

**So review and remember to read my beta's story 'Harry Potter and the Book of Deception.' Her name is bloomgirl247. **

**Oh and sorry for making Hermione cry so much in this chapter but she needed it. **

**And thank you so much to tallgiraffe32, Anarane Anwamane, and Natsuyori, your guys reviews make me keep writing. And sorry about not putting a warning on the last chapter I will next time. **

**BYE!**


	8. The Startings of a Bad Situation

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 8: The Startings of a Bad Situation

! Warning: This chapter contains a sexual act. But it's at the end so if you don't want to read it, don't worry about it. !

The walk was pleasant enough, as the sun shone brightly down on the travelers while they took their cloaks off. Hermione would sometimes casually look over at Sirius and saw how much he enjoyed being free. Finally free. The two eventually reached the old and, from the outside, run down building, but upon entering the smell of food rushed at them as Hermione looked in awe at the beautiful new decorations of the house. As soon as the door slammed shut there was a rumbling of feet heading towards them.

Hermione was suddenly crushed by the arms of both Harry and Remus, who both felt the need to pick her up and spin her around till she got dizzy. At last, they let her catch her breathe and recover.

"Hey Hermione! How was trip? How has your summer been? Did your parents have fun in France? Are you hungry? Tired?" Harry had said this all in about 2.5 seconds, which caused Hermione, Sirius, and Remus to look at him very oddly.

"Wow, a lot of questions in, like, half a second Harry." Hermione chuckled. She took his arm and led him to the kitchen. "And yes I am hungry and that food smells amazing."

As the two went into the kitchen Sirius turned to Remus with a look that said 'I need to talk to you later.' But they finally followed Harry and Hermione into the kitchen.

The four ate a great meal made all by Remus, with a little help from Harry, which Harry kept reminding them all when someone would complement Remus. The chocolate and strawberry tarts came and they were soon talking of Hermione's summer.

"Well…I…" she looked over to Sirius who just gave her a small wink and a smile to encourage her. "I mostly laid out by my pool and worked on summer homework. It was quite lovely to be by myself for a while." Hermione deftly lied to Harry and Remus who bought the lie without question. Almost immediately the conversation stopped and Hermione took the opportunity to lead the talk to anything but her. "So how was your guys' summer?"

The three talked for hours about their summers tales, the up-coming school year, what will happen after Hogwarts, and, of course, quidditch, which let Hermione drift into the thoughts of her own summer, and Severus.

Soon their talked died down, and Harry made it known to Sirius and Remus that he wished to be alone with Hermione.

Sirius feigned a yawn, over dramatizing a stretch. "Well, Remus lets go upstairs and let these two kids talk."

"Of course, Padfoot." He smiled down at the two and reminded them not to stay up too late. Remus stood up quickly and headed towards the staircase, following Sirius.

As Remus and Sirius went up to have their own discussion, Harry led Hermione over to a plush scarlet couch.

Harry cleared his throat nervously and scooted closer to Hermione and took her hand in his. Hermione noticed immediately how cold they were compared to Severus's hands. "Um…Hermione can I ask you something?"

And Hermione knowing exactly where this was going, squeezed his hand back. "Yes, sure Harry. You can ask me anything."

"Well, I know we've been friends for such a long time and, well, I was wondering if you…um…maybe we could…"

Hermione chuckled at his fumbling of words. "Spit it out Harry."

"Well, I was just wondering when we could make good on that question I asked you on the train. You know when I asked you out on a date." Harry said this in a very timid voice, not wanting to be rejected.

Hermione knew it was coming but it still came as a shock to her. For a great moment she sat there thinking about Severus, but Sirius's words came to mind and she quickly answered. "Sure Harry I would love to." Hermione said very enthusiastic but had a voice in the back of her mind 'This is wrong Hermione, you still love him and you know it.' But she tried to quench the voice and a smile, wide and fake, helped her to cover up her deep uncertainty.

Thinking Hermione would quickly say "no" after she had practically ignored him for the last month, Harry's mouth fell to the floor and he was speechless for a good minute or two. "Really you would?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, I would." Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. She gently smiled at him and stood up. "I think it is time for me to go to sleep Harry. Good-night, Mr. Harry Potter." She said very aristocratically.

Harry grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles before she left. "Good-night, Miss Hermione Granger." He then watched her stand up, walk out of the room, and up the stairs. With a light and giddy heart, Harry sat there with a look of pure, radiating joy and love coming from his face and eyes.

Once Hermione had left the room she fled up to her room and slammed her door closed locking it fiercely. She flopped down on her bed and felt the hot tears streak down her cheeks. 'How could you?' her conscience screamed at her. 'You're cheating on Severus. He will never forgive you, you dirty whore.' Hermione passed out on her bed from exhaustion, 'Oh my Gods, I can't believe I agreed to go out with him!

Harry was still sitting there with a look of pure joy and love radiating from him. He floated across the floor and he had images of him and Hermione forever. Nothing was going to break them up. He walked up the stairs not knowing that the thing that had made him so happy was making Hermione cry. She had agreed to go out with him!

"Well, Remus lets go upstairs and let these two kids talk." Sirius said trying not to let his voice rush.

Remus Lupin answered back as if nothing was wrong. "Of course, Padfoot."

Sirius had long sped up the steps and was waiting, not so patiently, at the top. Remus just took his time and seemed to be enjoying watching his friend suffer so much.

"Remus, if you do not hurry up, I will be forced to take action!" Sirius almost shouted. He desperately needed to talk to his friend about what Hermione had said to him earlier.

Remus heard this laughed to himself, and took each stair even slower, if this was possible. "I'm coming, old friend. I wouldn't want to be the cause of alarm. What would they think if the two love birds heard me stomping up the stairs?"

Finally Remus the top and he was dragged into the upper level library. Sirius locked the door and put a strong silencing spell on it. He quickly grabbed a large glass and poured it near full with Fire Whiskey. Gulping it down, Sirius paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, which too had a guard over it, for the time being.

Remus could now see that something was definitely up and something was not right. "Sirius, what's the matter. What happened before you got here?"

Sirius drank the rest in his glass, and walked over to a chair, one in a secluded corner. "Remus, something happened to Hermione over the summer. Something I need to tell you." This statement made Remus's ears perk up and he had a very nervous look to him. "She met someone from our past."

And so the story was passed on to another person. Remus listened carefully throughout the entire story. He was quiet for most of the time but every now and then he would add his two cents and some colorful language.

At the end, Remus just stood there looking very shell-shocked. "Wow! And now Harry is asking her out? And Hermione doesn't know that Snape is still alive? I can't believe this; she should have come to us at the very beginning. We could have prevented this, saved her the heart-break."

"I know but she didn't and there's nothing we can do about it now." Sirius was leaning back in his chair rubbing his eyes.

Remus had a flash of light come across his face. "But she's with Harry now. It will all be alright, she will go on with her life."

"Remus, she still loves him." Sirius said sighing. "The only reason Hermione agreed to go out with Harry was because I had to beg her to. She will not forget him that easily."

"But, if she knows he is alive why haven't we gotten a letter from Snape practically shouting at us to come get her?" Remus questioned trying to get his mind around the situation.

"I think she knows he's alive but I doubt it will hit her until she goes back to Hogwarts and sees him again." Sirius scratched the back of his neck and stared into his palm wondering what was going to happen. "That will not be a pretty sight. We will need to be there for her, Harry and Ron are not going to be much help."

The time passed quickly enough. Harry and Hermione were progressing nicely. All but Harry in the house knew about Hermione's summer and that she had spent it with the 18-year-old Snape, and that she had lost her virginity to him. And in her mind that is exactly how Hermione wanted to keep it, with Harry completely in the dark.

Sirius and Remus would sometimes catch the couple snogging with heat and passion that only seemed to be coming from Harry's side, or just watch them "act" like a normal couple. The two really did look like two young adults in love when you would pass them on the street, but if you were to talk to them for more then five minutes anyone could notice the distant look on Hermione's face or her hollow eyes were, even when she was looking at her supposedly beloved boy-friend.

Their one-month anniversary had finally arrived and they seemed to be steadily moving forward.

Harry sneaked up behind Hermione and put his hands over her eyes. For a brief and fleeting moment Hermione thought it was Severus, that he had finally some to pick her up, place her on his white, or would it be black, horse and take her away from this place. But the moment soon came to a screeching halt as Harry spoke.

"Hey, babe, guess what I got you?" Harry said enthusiastically.

'I don't care, shove it up your arse!' came to her mind but Hermione knew she was just angry it wasn't who she desperately wanted. "What have you got for me?"

Harry took one hand away from her eyes and reached into his pocket to retrieve the gift he had so fondly picked out. "Wait, wait, wait! Don't open your eyes yet! It's a surprise." Harry laughed out.

Hermione forced out a cutesy giggle.

He took the long box out and put it in front of her face and slowly pulled away his other hand. "Ok, you can open your eyes now." Nervousness crept into this voice.

Hermione opened her eyes and saw a long velvet box, knowing what it was almost immediately. She reached out and gently took it from Harry, trying not to cringe and squirm as he kissed and licked the back of her neck. Hermione opened the box and a beautiful silver chain with a red ruby pendent hanging from it acting as the eye of a fierce lion, which, as Harry told her, could be charmed to roar. She picked it up, still in awe and gave it to Harry as she bundled up her hair.

"Oh Harry it is so lovely. Thank you so much, I love it." She kissed his cheek lightly. But he gripped her chin and began kissing her more and more. These times Harry kissed her, she seemed to revel in as it gave her time to think.

The reason she enjoyed kissing Harry so much was because she would image it was Severus she was kissing. Although sometimes it would not work as she would think that Harry's hands were too small and they were colder. The main thing was that Severus always took his time roaming her body, while Harry usually went straight to her breasts in a matter of seconds. She would also remember how Severus would taste, a combination of smoke and cinnamon, while Harry had a way too minty flavor. Don't misunderstand, she liked Harry, she really did, but she knew that she could never love him the way he so badly wanted. Her heart would forever and always be in the hands of Severus Snape no matter what. That part of her was his and what he decided to do with it was his decision.

This time her mind had tricked her into believing that this man she was kissing was not Harry but her beloved Severus.

Harry started to take off her shirt, and was relieved for once that Hermione didn't stop him and go to bed claiming a headache. He messaged her breasts through her blue bra, the same one she had worn when she had made love to Severus. Seeing he didn't have to stop, he brought his arms to her chest and not so deftly took off her bra. But he did not marvel at them like Severus had, but roughly attacked them with his hands and mouth. This made Hermione wonder why Severus had not delicately and loving kissed his way down as he had before. But she put it out of her mind as she felt the erection rub against her knee in a frantic manner. Hermione, thinking of Severus, laid back on her bed as he put his weight on top of her.

Her mind whirred as a kind of grimy sensation ran through her body when she was on her back with her most loved man. Soon she was being flipped so that she was on top of him. He grabbed her hands and led them down towards his groin. She unzipped his pants, pulled them down, still not opening her eyes, for fear this dream might end. Soon she felt eager hands on her shoulders pushing her down.

Wanting to see Severus in such an intimate way, Hermione cautiously opened her eyes. But as she looked into the face of the man, she was horrified to find that Harry and not Severus was now underneath her waiting for her mouth to explore his slightly oozing member.

Knowing how odd it would seem if she pulled back now, Hermione tentatively and with a look of disgust that Harry could not see took him in her mouth. The sex act was over extremely fast as Harry let out a stifled cry and poured himself into Hermione's mouth.

The overly salty, gritty substance filled her mouth as she forced herself to swallow it and not the throw up.

"Oh, I love you so much, baby." Harry said tiredly.

"Me too, Harry." Hermione strained out, still trying to rid her mouth of the foreign material.

To her words, Harry re-did his pants, as Hermione out her bra and shirt back on. When they were both dressed, Hermione started to leave but was pulled back down by Harry, who promptly fell asleep.

**A/N: Thank you people for reading this. I tried not to make it too graphic. Please review and let me know how I'm doing. BYE**


	9. Everything's Fine!

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 9: Everything's Fine!

As soon as Hermione was sure that Harry had fallen asleep, she gingerly unwrapped herself from his grip and ran out of her bedroom. She wrenched open the door and barely made it to the toilet. Hermione fell to her knees and stuck two fingers down her throat making herself throw up many times just trying to get rid of the contents of her stomach. Soon she was breathing deeply resting on the side of the toilet. Hermione stood up, went over to the sink and starting brushing her teeth, but looking at herself and thinking of what she did, the bile rose in her throat as she threw up again wanting this to be the last time. Hermione brushed her teeth a few times more, which made her gums bleed, but she didn't care; the physical pain took away from her aching heart and mind. She washed her mouth out with mouthwash and felt the sting on her gums. The peppermint filled her taste buds with something other then Harry, for that she was grateful.

Hermione made her way quietly down the stairs and to the couch, favoring to sleep there, instead of in the arms of a man that wasn't Severus. That thought stopped her in her tracks. 'Oh, gods Severus! What have I done? I can't believe I did that to him, I cheated on him!' Hermione walked to the couch and cried herself to sleep.

Hermione's dreams were nightmares. They were filled with laughter at her, scorning, and the worst of all Severus leaving her. Laughing in her face, telling her that he could never love her. All she was to him was a great fuck and that was it. Many times during the night Hermione woke up, with sweat dripping down her face, breathing deeply.

Early in the morning she was awakened by Sirius and Remus, gently shaking her.

"What happened, love? Why are you here and Harry is in your bedroom?" Sirius asked the question but Remus sat down next to her, trying to comfort her as he saw the red trails on her face that could have only come from crying. He put an arm around her and Hermione rested her head on his shoulder.

Hermione told them about the night before and how she had cried herself to sleep when she thought of how badly she had cheated on Severus. The two were still disgusted when she would talk of her past relationship with him, but they knew now was not the time to bring that up.

"It's OK now. We're here and we are going to take care of you." Remus said this as if he was her knight in shining armor.

Hermione laughed at his dramatics. "Thank you, boys, I really appreciate that."

"No problem, love, we are always going to be here for you, even if we aren't" As he said this, Sirius was confused by his own words, and got a rise out of Hermione making her face light up with laughter. Soon Remus joined in, as all three of them were on the ground laughing.

As soon as he had caught his breath, Remus sighed out, "Why are we even laughing?" They stifled their laughter but soon cracked up once more.

Hermione's day had definitely started better then the last one had ended. Sirius and Remus fixed her breakfast and promised to take her out for a walk in the park and go out shopping all day. Her day had been wonderful, until her boyfriend walked sleepily down the staircase, rubbing his eyes as the sunlight poured in from the window.

The second Hermione saw Harry the bile rose in her mouth and she was about to throw up when she felt a reassuring hand on her knee from Sirius.

"Hey, baby!" Harry exclaimed. "Ohhh, that's smells good. Make me some breakfast did you? Thank you, just bring it upstairs and we can eat in bed." Waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive nature. Harry stepped forward to grab a plate and Hermione, he was definitely hoping to get further then last night. But to the relief of Hermione, Remus spoke up.

"Sorry Harry, but Sirius, Hermione, and myself are just about to leave, so you shall have to eat by yourself." This comment made Hermione and Sirius suppress their laughter as they all knew what Harry had wanted and how Remus had suggested to fix that little problem.

Remus locked eyes with Hermione as she mouthed "Thank you". He smiled in return. "So we bid you a good day Mr. Potter." He regally bowed and held out his arm for Hermione, as did Sirius at the exact same time.

"Now, now boys, there's no need to fight for me, there's plenty to go around." They walked out the door, the hard wood shutting off the noise from their laughter. Harry scowled in disgust as HIS girlfriend basically made herself a slut to his god-father and his best friend. A streak of wild possessiveness hit him, as did the thought, 'I need to get that woman in line. She is mine and will be no matter what!'

After that instant Harry became more and more demanding of Hermione, raising his hand to her whenever she would talk back to him or disobey him. His possessiveness had taken a hold of him and whenever the two would be out together, Harry would have an arm around her or holding her somehow. At first it was just a slight annoyance, like a gnat circling her head, but it soon got much worse. Hermione's 'punishments' became so serious that her make-up would hardly cover the multiple bruises, and she developed into this reclusive person sticking by Harry's side all the time.

Remus and Sirius were the first to notice the change in her personality. Her inquisitive nature had gone soft and she would hardly speak without looking to Harry first, almost to get permission so that she could speak. The night that it all came to a head for them, when she called out for the only help she would call out for, for a long time.

"Sirius, Remus, can I get your help?" They heard her call out to them from her bedroom. Her voice wavering a bit.

"Of course, dear, what's the matter?" Remus entered the room and was appalled to see Hermione's arm purple and red. He saw fingers marks and scratches. He was sure Harry had done this and James's boy or not, Harry would not get away with this. "Oh gods, Herm, what happened to you?" He walked over to her and gently sat on her bed to check on her arm.

As she felt his fingers lightly going over her arm, she pulled it away. These quick movements made her cry out in pain holding her arm close to her chest. "Nothing I fell on my arm when I was coming into my room. I don't know if it is broken or not but it really hurts." Hermione's eyes filled with stinging tears.

Sirius had come into the room and saw a clearly beaten up Hermione crying and holding her arm. He didn't know how it had happened but he knew that Harry and Hermione's seemingly perfect relationship had gone so wrong somewhere.

"Oh love, lets get you somewhere to get that all fixed up." Sirius whispered sadly, coming over to her bed and picking her up gently.

That night was just too much, as Sirius and Remus got her broken arm fixed, and her also apparently two broken ribs. Time was of the essence as they knew she was being beat up and needed to talk as soon as possible before something really bad happened that she would not be able to walk away from so easily.

"Hermione, are you and Harry ok?" Sirius asked her one day, as they were eating lunch.

Hermione looked around quickly, scared almost. "Yes, we are fine. Fine. Just fine." She said this but Remus and Sirius were not stupid. Both knew that when a girl said 'Fine' in that tone of voice, it usually meant 'Horrible, bad, HELP ME!!'

Remus walked forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Hermione, you can tell us what's wrong. We'll get you help."

But Hermione pushed his hand off and got in a distinctly defense stance. She screamed that she was fine and that they were making to big a deal out of little injuries. The two men stood in shock as she stormed up the stairs into her room, leaving them in her wake.

Hermione may have said things were fine but no one believed her one bit. And they had good reason. Company would come over sometimes, friends of Remus, Dumbledore, anyone they could find but the same thing would happen every day. Sometime during the day she would be hauled to her feet by Harry, dragging her up stairs. They would hear muffled screaming and cries. Thuds would follow, and a few minutes later Harry would come down, looking quite pleased with himself, followed by Hermione who looked very small and shy with a new coat of makeup on. Nobody would help her, nobody believed that the famous Harry Potter would be beating up on the beautiful, strong, Hermione Granger.

The weeks passed and Hermione would constantly be beaten then made to act like nothing happened. Her only time of solace was at night. Every night she would dream of a dark prince that would come and save her from the world. But when she awoke the visions would dissipate and she would have face the real world with a fake smile.

Harry had become so much more terrible to her. He had almost raped her a few times when she refused to sleep with him. Hermione protective walls were always up, she didn't let anything get in or escape out.

A few weeks before school started, Harry with Hermione following obediently behind him, went to stay at the Burrow for the remainder of their summer vacation. Remus and Sirius were so worried what may happen to Hermione if they weren't around. They told Mrs. Weasley to keep an eye on the couple and to inform them if bad things started to happen.

Ron ran down the path to the couple walking up to the front door. "Harry, Hermione! How have you guys been?" Ron hugged both of them, although he was kind of shocked when Harry gave him a dirty look when he hugged Hermione. But he ignored it, thinking it was part of his imagination.

"We've been great!" Harry exclaimed really stressing the 'We've' just to make sure Ron knew what was in his possession.

"Great" Ron had a smile on his face that showed just how much he really did miss his best friends. "Hey, 'Mione how was your month alone?" Hermione started to answer using that well formed and memorized lie, but Ron spoke up, saving her from having to lie to Ron. "No wait, let me guess. Did the summer homework, read, and, oh gods could it be, read some more?" Hermione smiled at her best friend, happy that she could have something to laugh about again.

"Yeah Ron, that's about exactly what I did."

Ron slowly led them in the house, getting them ready for the attack that the Weasley's called a greeting. Once the three stepped in the door, Hermione was enveloped into a hug by Mrs. Weasley and had the wind knocked out of her by the double bear hugs of Fred and George. But then she heard it. What screamed like a banshee and moved as loud as an elephant and as fast as a cheetah, ran down the stairs and lunged herself at her.

"Hermione!" Ginny shrieked out. "I've missed you much." Hermione was hugged fiercely by her best girl friend. "It will be so nice to have another girl around the house for a while."

Ginny quickly grabbed her hand to force lead Hermione up to Ginny's room. But as Ginny was pulling, Hermione was stopped, and swung around by her hand that was still being held by Harry.

"Oh, don't worry Harry, I'll return her safe and sound." Still Harry didn't let go of Hermione's hand. The room grew into an uncomfortable silence as everyone watched the exchange.

"Come on, Harry let her go." Ginny said getting worried about the way Harry was acting. The look that was now on his face was scaring her more then the scene in front of her.

Hermione turned to face Harry. "Harry, I'll be fine." She pleaded with him. But he just gripped her hand even harder, until it was turning from tan to white to a sickening blue-ish color. "Please!" She whispered to him, the pain on her face apparent.

Harry looked around and saw the faces of the people looking at him. He loosened his grip a little and pulled Hermione in for a kiss that was meant for her lips, but thanks to the quick reflexes of Hermione, it landed on her cheek as she moved her head. He looked deep in her eyes, and glared menacingly at her, and at last dropped her hand.

Hermione and Ginny ran up the stairs leaving Harry to glare at their backs and the Weasley's shifting nervously from left to right.

"So, who's ready for lunch?" Mrs. Weasley asked breaking the silence. "I'm sure you must be starving Harry."

Harry looked Mrs. Weasley and spoke as if the last two minutes hadn't occurred. "Of course Mrs. Weasley, I'm always hungry for your wonderful food." He laughed to himself and looked over to Ron, Fred, and George who just chuckled lightly and awkwardly.

She led them all into the cramped, cozy kitchen to prepare lunch.

The two girls finally reached Ginny's room. She shoved Hermione in and locked the door.

"Ok, Hermione, you're my best friend, right?" Hermione nodded her head. "Right then, what in the bloody hell, was that all about back there? I thought you and Harry were doing great."

"We are going great. Back there was just nothing."

"Oh, don't start that crap with me Herm. I know something's up with you and you are going to tell whether you like it or not!"

Tears flowed down Hermione as her face reddened with frustration and embarrassment. The story came out from what happened on the train when Harry first asked her out, to the month with a boy she met (not yet revealing his name, even though Ginny protested a bit), to staying with Harry, Lupin, and Sirius, the beatings and punishments, at last to where they are now.

Throughout the entire story Ginny was a perfect listener, adding in "Bastards" and "bloody hells" at the right moments. But mainly she kept a look of surprise on her face as her mouth formed a slight "O".

With the story out in the open Hermione could definitely say that she felt much better. Yes, she had told Sirius what happened but it just wasn't the same. Sometimes you just need to talk to a girl. For the 50th time Hermione sighed as her mind wondered back to the most perfect month as Ginny sat there still processing the information.

Soon Ginny was asking and asking for the name of who the man was. The questioning became too much as Hermione told Ginny, who took the news with a slight nod of the head.

"Wow…" Was all Ginny could really say after about five minutes of digesting what her friend had just told her.

"Yeah that's about right." Hermione sighed out.

"And you..."

"Uh, huh"

"But you haven't…?"

"Nope and I never will."

This halting conversation spoke in perfect girl language that yes Hermione had lost her virginity to Snape but that she wouldn't sleep with Harry, ever.

For the next two minutes the friends sat in companionable silence.

"So what are you going to do when we go back to school?" Ginny asked.

**A/N: Ahhh, there's the chapter. Thank God for Thanksgiving break for me to write this. And thanks to all my reviewers. Please keep reviewing it makes me happy and keeps my fingers on the keyboard. Oh and also my beta, bloomgirl247, has almost finished her story, Harry Potter and the Book of Deception, and she is starting new story. So yay for her. **

**And for anyone who doesn't know yet, J.K. Rowling is announcing the release date of the 6th book, in 24, WHEEE! BYE**


	10. The Foreshadowing Dream

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 10: The Foreshadowing Dream

"So what are you going to do when we go back to school?" Ginny asked.

"Oh gods, Ginny what am I going to do. I don't think I can take going back to school." Hermione was shaking and shaking.

Ginny couldn't believe it. Her best friend, the one who was always in control, who always knew everything, was breaking down. Hermione was having a mini-nervous breakdown and there was nothing really that Ginny could do except hold her and tell her it would all turn out OK. Somehow it would all turn out OK, Ginny would make sure of it.

The hours past and Hermione cried out her frustrations, pain, and want. Ginny just held her the entire time, listening to her and whispering comforting words in her ear. Finally the call for dinner came and Hermione put herself together enough to stand up and look in the mirror. When she did look in the mirror she couldn't help but laugh at the state she was in. Ginny joined in and soon the girls were rolling on Ginny's bed laughing. Knowing that Hermione needed to wash up, Ginny stuck her head out the door, and rushed Hermione to the bathroom. Hermione was pushed in there with Ginny and they splashed cold water on there face and put on a little make-up to try and cover up faces that were screaming 'I've been crying for the past 5 hours. STAY AWAY FROM ME!'

"Girls would you please hurry up!" Ron was yelling through the door, whining like a little 5-year-old. "We are all starving and Mum won't let us eat without you."

Laughing, Hermione called back to him. "We're coming Ron. We wouldn't want you to starve to death." The girls opened the door and gasped in fake horror, as Ron's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"Oh no, Herm!" Ginny was dramatically swooning. "He is just wasting away right in front of our very eyes."

Hermione swung her hand to her forehead and pretended to faint, oh so dramatically. "Oh my gods, you're right! We need to get him down to dinner before he just dissolves away in front of us!"

The whole time Ron was standing there with a look frustration mixed with badly hidden laughter, just trying to get the girls to hurry up. The rest of the house had heard the commotion and were watching from the kitchen. Fred and George were snickering, Mrs. Weasley had a smile that went from ear to ear, and even Harry had a small grin on his face.

Hermione and Ginny shoved Ron into the kitchen, forced him to sit down, and fed him food until he pushed them away and made them sit down in their own seats.

The dinner conversation was light and airy, but the topic of Harry and Hermione still put some people at edge, when they thought of the earlier incident. After dinner, Ginny was about to drag Hermione back up to her room, to get more details out of the more controlled girl but Harry immediately grabbed Hermione by the waist. He stood by the fire and said that they were going back for their luggage and would be back the next day. He flooed them back to Grimauld, while Hermione's last look to Ginny was one of early pain and being afraid. Ginny knew that her friend was in a lot of 'trouble' when they reached home.

When Hermione fell through the fireplace she didn't have time to react to the new surroundings, as Harry drug her up to his rooms. He warded the door and made sure it was locked.

As she entered the room, Hermione was spun around, as Harry slapped her, leaving perfect little finger marks. "How dare you disrespect and embarrass me in front of the Weasleys like that!" He screamed out, his face getting red. "I had told you to stay with me. Didn't I?"

Hermione was shaking with fear. "I…I'm sorry Harry. I di…didn't think. I hadn't seen Ginny in s…so long, she…she's my best friend." Hermione stuttered out, trying to sink back into a corner.

"That is no excuse. You belong to me, and you obey what I tell. Am I understood, my love?" His voice had gone into a lower octave and was just above a whisper.

Hermione still sunk into the corner nodded her head and looked up at him. "Yes, Harry, I understand."

He came up to her, pulled her gently to her feet. He smiled eerily at her and hugged her and kissed her and the cheek.

"Come on, go to bed, I need to stay up for a little while." He spun Hermione to him and kissed her roughly and viciously on the mouth. "Goodnight love."

Hermione sadly said goodnight and silently ascended the stairs. Walking into her room, she clicked the door shut as the tears were forming in her beautiful eyes. But a second later she wiped her eyes clean. "No, no, not this time. Remember what Sirius said, be happy and I'll forget him. Be happy and I'll forget him." She repeated that while she climbed into bed and fell asleep to a fitful night of terrible dreams.

She was walking through the Forbidden Forest, as the sun was rising. It was bitter cold; she could see her breath as she heard the crunching of frozen twigs and leaves under her bare feet. The sun poured through the trees, giving everything a nice yellow-green tinge to it. The ice and snow were melting off the trees and dripping to the ground. A loud screech floated through the trees as fast footfalls were hitting the ground. Hermione just stood there paralyzed with fear. Her feet slowly sank into the ground just enough to keep her in the spot. The creature, unlike any that she had seen before, ran faster and faster, leaping and bounding towards her. It leapt one last time and sunk its enormous claws straight through her heart. The pain was indescribable; this pain was like nothing she had ever experienced. The creature fell on top of her, just digging its claws deeper and deeper, till she was sure it had gone entirely through her. All this time she didn't cry out, she kept quiet but her face was distorted in pain and agony. The creature pulled one paw away from her and licked its claws clean of her blood, giving her an evil smirk that said 'I'm going to destroy you and there's nothing you or anybody else can do about it.' It swiftly lower its head and finished her off, sinking giant teeth in the soft flesh of her tender, white neck. The end of her was the only time she cried out.

Hermione woke up clutching her forehead. Sweat dripped down her face and was polling at the top of her shirt. She was gasping for air as she felt around her neck for any punctures as it still stung from the vivid dream. Hermione walked over to her bathroom, took a shower, and readied herself for the day.

All day Hermione thought of that dream. Unusually it just became clearer and clearer the more she tried to remember it, so clear that she could almost tell what kind of animal it was. But she could never quite see it, the creature was too blurry. It was neither muggle nor wizarding, but still both. The day flew as Harry and her went back to the Burrow with their luggage, and settled in. Hermione had a far off look to her face and when any one was talking to her they had to keep reminding her to pay attention, which got her quite a few beatings from Harry that night.

Even over at the Weasley's the beatings continued, seemingly growing worse and worse every time he would raise a hand to her. Those times when the beatings went on for what felt like hours at a time, she sought refuge in her memories.

Soon, everyone in the Weasley household, with the exception of Ginny, was aware of what Harry was doing to Hermione. But because he was Harry Potter, saver-of-the-Wizarding-World and defeater-of-the-Dark-Lord, no one wanted to believe that he had flaws or that he could do something so terrible. No one ever said anything about it, they just knew it was there but opted to ignore it. They even justified their beliefs with the fact that they could not see any physical damage done to her the morning after her "beatings". But really it was make-up and a little magic hiding the truth from them, she was sometimes seen limping or close to tears, but it was ignored.

As the school year was coming ever closer, Hermione didn't even know if Harry loved her anymore. He said he did, each time he broke her and had her crumpled on the floor cowering in the corner he would say "Hermione, I love you more than anything in this world, why do you make me do this to you, huh? Why?" He would tear up, but leave her on the ground to go up to his rooms to do what, she didn't want to know. The one thing that she knew was that she had grown to hate Harry, but also to love him in a sick sort of way. She would hate him and curse his name, but whenever he was near she was his obedient little girlfriend doing anything he wished. That line between love and hate was a very fine line she crossed often.

The school year was fast approaching and it was soon time to get her school books for her seventh and almost thankfully her last year.

"Alright, alright, come on lets go get your books before school actually starts!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, as Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all ran off in different direction in Diagon Alley, all looking for their own special item. But as Hermione was cautiously turning to back to Flourish and Botts her eyes caught a familiar black flash, she twirled to see what it had been but saw nothing. She looked over to Ginny to see if she had seen anything but her friend just shock her head and continued looking. Hermione rubbed her eyes glanced around again and upon seeing nothing deemed herself crazy. But the black flash again infiltrated her vision as they were walking to the Three Broomsticks after getting all of their supplies.

"Ok Ginny, I really think I'm going crazy." Hermione sighed out as she felt the familiar hand sneak around to her waist and grasp at her tightly.

Ginny took and a drink of her Butterbeer. "Why?"

"I keep seeing something out of the corner or my eye, and whenever I turn to look there's nothing there." Hermione sighed.

Ginny eyed her suspiciously. "Wow, you really are going crazy." She said this in a straight face with her eyes very large and slowly backed away from her friend, looking ready to run.

Hermione saw this and shouted out with laughter in her voice. "Shut up, HOR!" As she screamed this out, the entirety of the tavern went quiet. This made all of them laugh for a few minutes, relieving some of the tension of the day.

After the much needed laugh, Mrs. Weasley stood up. "Come on, children. Back home, we've got to get you packed for Saturday! Almost time for school to start once more." The four of them groaned with the prospect of school, one with far different reasons then the others, and downed the rest of their drinks and headed out the door.

The packing went smoothly enough as Hermione finished hers and went over to see Harry, as she was instructed to do.

"Hi Harry." She called out meekly from the doorway.

""Hey Babe! You finished quickly." Harry exclaimed as he folded a shirt and put it in his trunk. He didn't notice her shyness and nervousness as she stood there, and decided to engage her in conversation. "Are you ready for school? To go back for our last year to learn all we can?"

And opening up to Harry for the first time since they had started dating, she stepped into the room talking happily of the new year. But her walls flew back up as Harry mentioned how happy he was that it would be their last year of Potions with that "old, greasy bat". Hermione flinched at his name and tensed up, talking less, and lowering her head. Harry noticed this change and decided to store this moment away in his memory for a later "discussion".

The next day past, as Hermione flooed to her parents, well really her mom, and said good-bye, but for the most part her, Harry, Ron, and Ginny just sat around all day, soaking up the sun and enjoying their last real day of summer.

"Let's go, let's go! Come on kids we are already late and you are going to miss the train." Mrs. Weasley shrieked at the top of her voice. The four of them ran from the house to the car, then from the car to the station. Knocking a few people over, they burst through the platform with one minute to spare. Quickly they threw their bags on the train and ran to find a compartment.

"Wow" Ron stated still trying to catch his breath, "that was a chaotic last five minutes!"

The others nodded their heads in agreement, smiling a bit as looked out the window. The conversation was light the entire way until the snack cart came. Upon seeing it, Ron pulled out what little money he had to buy Ginny and himself some food. Soon it was time for the girls to go and get changed to school roves.

"So, mate you and Hermione seem to be going well."

"Yeah, we are so happy together." Harry sighed proudly. "She is so wonderful, and surprisingly obedient, just like the perfect girlfriend should be."

Ron was beaming at his friend, and was about to open his mouth to say a 'congratulations' when the phase 'obedient just like the perfect girlfriend should be' repeated itself in his head. Ron looked at him confused. "Wait, obedient what do mean. This is Hermione we are talking about. Bossy, head-strong, know-it-all. We are talking about the same person right?"

Harry laughed, nodded his head and turned away from Ron, signaling the end of that conversation for now.

Hermione and Ginny left the compartment and walked back to change. The entire way back, Hermione kept rubbing her upper arm, not speaking at all.

"Hermione…hey Hermione!" Ginny called to her trying to get her friend's attention. So Ginny grabbed Hermione and pulled up the sleeve to where she had been rubbing. A deep purple bruise in the shape of fingers showed up terribly on the tanned arm.

"Oh, my gods, Hermione what happened to you?" Ginny cause a few people to stick their heads out of their own compartments.

But as soon as Ginny had asked the question, Hermione ripped her arm away from her and covered it back up. "Nothing, it was nothing. I hit my arm while we were packing."

"Hermione." Ginny said desperately as she pulled her into a changing area. "These are finger marks. I may be young but I'm not stupid." Ginny added carefully pulling up the sleeve once more. "Honey, what happened?"

Hermione looked around outside to see if anyone was listening. "Look, its OK! I screwed up and Harry gave me what I deserved." Hermione admitted in a very defensive tone. But don't tell anybody about this, please."

Ginny nodded her head and they silently changed. She needed to talk to Ron about this as soon as she could. Unknown to her, Ron was thinking the exact same thing.

A little while later the two girls went back to their compartment, and the rest of the train ride to school passed much to slowly for everyone's tastes.

The train soon reached its destination, and the four of them, walked up into a carriage that would take them to the castle. They finally arrive at the Great Hall and Hermione was so nervous that her hands were shaking; she was constantly looking up at the Head Table searching for that black figure. But he was absent from his normal seat and Hermione couldn't help but tear up and think about that summer. The first years were sorted, and Headmaster Dumbledore gave his opening speech. The food soon appeared on the tables and the sounds of silverware hitting the plates along with talks of summer filled the hall. After the meal had been cleared away, the perfects were announced with an apology that they hadn't been informed during the summer. The younger children were taken to their new houses, but Hermione and Draco were held back.

"Miss. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, I trust your summers have gone well." He pointedly looked at Hermione but said nothing and expecting no answer. "Wonderful! Over the summer we were very busy and could not get a many things done." His cryptic tone obviously talking of Voldemort. "And one of the things that was failed to do was the passing out of Head Boy and Head Girl titles." He smiled at them and gave each of them a badge and shock their hands. "Congratulations you two and I do suppose it was quite predictable that you would be Head Boy and Girl but oh well." The Headmaster said more to himself in a reflective tone." Oh well, have a great year."

**AN: Hey there all my readers and reviewers. I hope you had a great holiday season, see not just Christmas I'm politically correct be proud of me lol. I hope you like this new chapter and review lots, they make me happy.**

**And YAY, Harry Potter coming out 7/16/05, not too bad, ill just have to survive.**

**Also if you haven't seen it yet, go see Phantom of the Opera, I love it, it's great. I don't like Christine's choice in the end, never have, but hey that's what fanfiction is for. BYE!**


	11. Prevalent yet Unassuming

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 11: Prevalent yet Unassuming

After their discussion with Headmaster Dumbledore the two of them walked to where the letter indicated the Head Boy and Girl rooms would be. The silence between them was uncomfortable and awkward, but it would have been even odder if they had been carrying on a polite conversation.

Soon the two reached the door that would lead them into their new home for the rest of this year. Hermione read off of her letter the password (Pilfidora, a common ingredient in healing potions) and thought it appropriate because potions seemed to be the only thing that she and Draco did not disagree on. The common room was plush and comfortable. Of course, the room was a delicate balance between the colors of Gryfindor and Slytherin. Two doors on opposite sides of the room, with a lion and snake on them respectively, had the password that would lead them to their house's common rooms. Beside the two doors were staircases leading up to the Head Boy and Girl's quarters. The banisters had weaving lions and snakes on them with the house crests adorning the handrails.

As Hermione walked up her staircase, with Draco completely forgotten as he went up his, she had pictures filtering though her head of what it may look like. Upon entering, after the 27th step, she opened the door as slow as she could to try and delay the excitement. But it was all very anti-climactic as Hermione saw only a white blank room with a piece of parchment in the middle of the floor. She walked in cautiously and sat down on the hardwood floor to read the letter.

Dear Miss Hermione Granger,

I know how creative you are, also your love of our school's library, which can be connected to your new bookcase if you so desire, and your very apparent perfectionism trait. Please furnish this room to your own liking. Your bathroom is also yours to decorate as you please.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Hermione looked at the elegant handwriting and smiled as she looked over the letter again and again. She glanced around her room for a little while imagining what she could do on this blank canvas.

The first thing done was the color, a deep burgundy was slashed on to the wall and Hermione smiled, immediately liking the color. Next she put in a mahogany sleigh bed right under the window, and bed curtains were soon on too, that came out of habit for having them on her bed for six years. She moved along to the tables that were soon beside her bed, placing three candles on each. After that Hermione decided on a desk, a wonderfully large desk with lots of drawers and room to do all of her homework. The final addition was the bookcase. She replaced the wall to the left of the door with full length shelves and filled not even a third of it with books that she pulled out of her trunk. And of course with the Headmaster's blessing she connected it with the school library, so every book was at her finger tips. Finding this to her liking she put in a few accessories that made this room feel more like home and headed on to the bathroom.

Immediately upon entering the vision of the Prefect's bathroom came to her mind. Although she didn't want a tub as large as that one it would definitely be the starting point. Hermione put in the big tub, with one side filled with faucets for different kinds of scents and the opposite side with jets, for after those very stressful days. Hermione placed a vanity in front of a large mirror and the sinks and countertops were all made of marble. A shower was soon put in the corner. Finishing with candles and windows, Hermione looked in awe at the work she had created, but there was one thing missing: a theme.

Hermione racked her mind for a theme that would fit in with her but also with the rest of the décor. Finally one was decided. Her bathroom walls turned into what the Ancient Greeks had had as decorations and everything took on that old world charm and elegance.

After the bathroom, Hermione walked out exhausted and flopped down on her bed to review her new school books. About an hour into it she fell asleep, and once again dreamt of her dark angel. With a fright she woke up and mentally and physically slapped herself for forgetting what she had wanted to do.

Soon her bed linens were made a beautiful green and silver satin. She added paintings and tapestries to her walls, all of which had green or snakes some where prevalent yet unassuming. Hermione rushed into her bathroom, turning her faucets from gold to silver lions and snakes in an embrace. The marble was made emerald green and snakes were added to her Greek scenery.

As Hermione walked to her bed and slipped into comfortable pajamas, she couldn't help but feel a sneaky happiness that all throughout her room were little reminders of Severus. For one of the first moments in a long time, Hermione smiled at his memory, and even laughed as she looked around knowing what he would love and hate about her new room.

Hermione left her trunk for unpacking tomorrow and decided to go and get a nice cup of hot chocolate before going to bed. She walked down to her common room and found Draco sitting in front on the fire, deep in thought. He seemed so sad and scared, and Hermione knew that this was a time that she would never get to see again, Draco Malfoy was unguarded and his face portrayed all of his emotions very clearly.

Hermione saw on his face the emotion that she had felt so very often after… that day, and knew that he was contemplating his life and whether it was worth it all. His thoughts matched her own two months ago, why not just give up now, there is nothing here for me now and there is no way I can get it back. But both of them were too stubborn, smart, and resourceful to believe that they could to nothing to fix their current situation. Hermione silently walked down the stairs and sat next to him gently, wanting not to disturb him.

Draco's thoughts had been exactly what Hermione had thought they would be, and he was so deep in those thought that he didn't notice his new roommate until he felt a warm body next to him. The two sat there and Draco knew that Hermione had gone through something so heart-wrenching and terrible that he could give him comfort later on. From the moment that they had gotten away from the prying eyes of the school, Draco had noticed her change. She was weary with each step and was felt the need to check the corners each time they passed one, ever so discreetly of course. He felt her anguish and heartbreak radiating off of her and wondered how her friends had failed to notice this. With no thoughts of pushing her away Draco and Hermione sat their in silence for the rest of the night, both too lost in their own thoughts to even talk to one another.

It was soon morning and the two roommates were in the same position they had been in since the night before. But the moments of the night before were gone and Draco quickly pulled on the 'I don't care' face he wore so well, whispered a "mudblood" Hermione's way and went off to get ready for the day.

Hermione smiled a little at hearing this. "Some things just never change." She said to herself and also got up to get ready for the long day ahead.

It was Saturday morning, so Hermione took her time in her new bath tub then dressed in sweatpants and tank top to go under her new robes. She ambled down to the Great Hall and took her normal place in between Harry and Ron, who were already there full to bursting with questions about her Head Girl rooms. They interrogated her and make remarks of how terrible it was that Draco was Head Boy and not somebody that they actually liked. Hermione didn't mention her night with Draco and swore she never would, thinking that would be an ultimate betrayal.

A few times during the meal, Hermione would glance up to the Head Table, wanting so much to see his familiar face, or at least his retreating back, or dark shadow, but never did. Every time she would look up the arm around her waist grew tighter and tighter until she could feel Harry's fingernails draw blood, although she never winced once or cried out in pain.

The weekend was spent outside, watching a few pick up games Quidditch, and frantically finishing the summer homework. As the Sunday night dinner came around, the long awaited new school year schedules were passed out. Hermione found to her great relief that she had only 3 classes with Harry, DADA, Charms, and Transfigurations. Also looking at her schedule another sigh of relief escaped, she found that her Advanced Potions Class was on Tuesday but that it was a double period on Thursday and Friday, not that she really minded. Hermione just wanted a much time as possible before she had to meet the new teacher and the fate of her old one. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and herself exchanged papers, checked times, and groaned over heavy homework loads that were soon to come.

Sunday night came and Hermione was so glad to get away form the people that seemed to constantly surround her. She crawled into bed, smuggling against her secret sheets. The dream was the same, the same dark angel she could never reach and the same creature following after her still.

Monday morning came with the prospect of new things to learn and this gave Hermione a lot of things to look forward to. She took a shower, straightened her hair, and graced her beautiful face with just the barest hints of makeup. Rushing down through her new common room and to the Great Hall she was still about 20 minutes early.

Her day, unfortunately enough, had two classes that she shared with Harry. He still took hold of her when he could, his grip seemingly tighter now, and would mention to everyone he talked to about their relationship, how long they had been going out, and how great it was. Hermione would just stand their and smile, kissing him on the cheek at the right moment, and it was all she could do from not tearing from his arms and run to bathroom to lock herself up and not come out till the end of the day. The meals were stressed as well. She kept most of her focus on the Head Table or looking around by the doorways, though this seemed to make Harry more and more irate every time she would glance up there.

The Monday passed without incident, excluding the 'quality time with Harry' during lunch. Hermione stayed on the outskirts of her friends but still clung to them desperately when passing by the rest of the students, she didn't dare venture near or even look at the direction of the Dungeons or of the Potions room. Dinner came and went, with still no sign of him, and Hermione quickly went to her room were she stayed for the rest of the night, or at least until it was time to make her rounds at about ten o'clock.

Hermione's night was restless and she could be found at 2:30 in the morning pacing in front of her gigantic fireplace. She paced and thought and thought and paced for the entire night thinking of the day to come. She would panic then become angry then depressed and then panic once more started this cycle over again. Finally she glanced at the grandfather clock and saw the time: 6:47. It was time to get ready and face the horrific day.

It was still dark in his rooms, and he liked it that way. Always had, along with the silence that lingered there no matter what was happening in the rest of the castle. He was sitting in his favorite chair and had his fingers steepled in front of him. He was gazed into the fires, or at least the last remaining embers of it, when there came of inevitable knock on his door.

He got up and slowly yet gracefully opened the door, to reveal and worried yet still cheerful Dumbledore standing in his doorway. The Headmaster let himself in without preamble as he always and took a seat on the long sofa that was hardly ever used.

"Headmaster, what am I to do? She is coming today and I don't want her to react badly, although I know that she will. Why do you think I have stayed down here all this time?" The younger man rubbed his temples feeling the on coming headache. But he willed himself to settle down and take deep breaths.

"I really don't know, my boy. We shall just have wait and see what the outcome of this day will be. What time is her class with you? Before and after lunch, yes?" The other man simply nodded his head and rested his is forehead in his palm. "Alright well, just be ready for anything that may happen. But no matter what she will not take this calmly, I can tell you that much."

The Headmaster stood next to the ailing, bleak looking man and placed a hand on his shoulder. The moment was tense and the time soon passed quickly as the first period was ending and the children were shuffling out, heading for their next class.

**A/N: Well guys, there's the next chapter. I know that it is shorter, but it needed to end there so that the next chapter will be jam-packed with drama-y goodness, which I know you all love so much. So review lots I love them, they make me happy, even the flames do! **

**Oh and to Usuu Bishouji, I'm gonna write a new story that's a crossover, don't worry it will still be HG/SS but those two will be exactly, or as close as I can get to Christine and Erik! **

**Thanks guys I love you so much! BYE**


	12. And so the ghost returns

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 12: And the ghost returns

Hermione got through her first class, Ancient Runes, and made her way, as slowly as she could, to the darkness of the dungeons, where her next class was held.

The day had moved at light speed. Every time she would glance down at the watch she wore, the minutes were melting away and it was only five minutes until the first classes were over. She had been dreading the moment since she had talked to Ginny about it. Everything seemed to be mocking her, the students looked fiercer, the paintings gave her an evil look when she passed by, and people would become quieter when she walked by them in the halls. She was getting paranoid and she knew it but it was easier to fear the unreasonable then what she imagined was to come.

Her mind kept imagining horrible scenarios. They would all find out about her summer and reject her, mock her, and torture her. She would be joyous to find him alive but he would cruelly smile at her and tell everyone the silly fantasies of a silly child. All these daydreams, more day nightmares really, scared her to no end and she was taking as much time as she could to reach the classroom of her Advanced Potions Class.

So there she was, finally, the doorway. Students were pushing past her trying to find a seat, most hopefully near the back, but she did not care. The bell rang and shook her out of her thoughts and fears and she rushed into the room quickly finding a seat next to Hannah Abbot, a girl in Hufflepuff. They smiled politely and got their books and cauldrons out of their bags.

* * *

He was afraid. And he had run to his private rooms. A mere memory of the girl that he had left scared him and turned him into a coward when years of being a spy under Voldemort had not. He paced a little in his room and was contemplating not showing up for class just letting them wait it out. But Hermione being the Head Girl she is would be sent to go and check to see if classes were canceled. And he could not be caught along with her, not yet, it was much too soon. He looked out at the large, ornate clock over his fireplace and saw that classes had been in session for a few minutes and he made up his mind.

* * *

The students were talking to each other in hushed voices, wondering where their professor was. But, from an unseen corner, a door opened and slammed shut. Hermione didn't look up; she didn't want to know but that voice called out and drew her eyes up to him.

"By know all of you should know that I expect nothing but perfection from you. You are in this class because you have the ability and knowledge. Now, open to page 129 and find your ingredients from the back table. At the end of class bottle up your finished potions and place them on my desk. Next class, have a two foot long essay on the other uses of pilfidora." Professor Snape instructed the class, not going over the potion as they were so used to, but told them what to do and quickly sat down at his desk seemingly grading papers.

He finished giving the directions and sighed as he grabbed a quill, watching his shaking hand. 'There, I'm here and she knows I'm here now too. It will all be fine.' His mind tried to reassure him but he would have no such luck this day.

When Hermione glimpsed up and saw him she smiled and was thrust back into the memories. But when he said "pilfidora" she was brought back to 'that day' and then back to the present. A few seconds later a shrill scream filled the classroom.

Everyone dropped their supplies and the classroom was full of the echoes of ingredients and cauldrons hitting the floor. In the silence everyone looked around to see what the matter was and who had screamed. They finally found her. Hermione's face was drained of all its color and she was clutching her heart and shaking badly, her mouth still open wide in a silent scream. Hannah looked terrified and rushed to Hermione's side.

"Hermione…hey Hermione what's the matter, what happened?" The other girl tried to question her but Hermione just stood there looking at the man in the front of the room who was forcing himself to still look at the papers.

"No, no, no, no." She repeated. Her head was shaking back and forth. "Your not suppose to be here. You died. I held you in my arms as you died. The stain from your blood is still on my floor. I'm not crazy," she pointed to herself and then up at him, "your not suppose to be here." Hermione was screaming and quaking back and forth until Severus finally looked up at her when his blood, which was stained on her floor, was mentioned.

"Miss. Granger, settle down and get back to work." His voice was stern and reprimanding but the fear was there, and everyone could hear it. Of course, that did nothing but make her freak out even more. Silence was all that could be heard in the room at that moment. People were looking back and forth between their Head Girl and their Potions Master. Questions were floating through everyone's mind. 'What is going on?' 'Blood what is she talking about?' 'He's not dead, has she finally snapped?'

She finally moved. Hermione ran up to his desk, beating on his chest, calling him a fake, and a fraud. Severus took hold of her arms and shouted out to the rest of the people that class was canceled. When they didn't move fast enough, his eyes darkened even more and he screamed for them to get out or they would get detentions for the rest of the year.

The students scurried out of the classroom as fast as they could. Severus was holding on to Hermione as she continued to beat him, her little fists not causing any pain. Soon she was crying and sobbing, and he took hold on of and held her to his chest. But this action was not met with kindness. Hermione glanced up hoping to any gods that Sirius was holding her or Lupin or if anything Harry, but that it wasn't him.

When she looked up and saw the concern in his eyes she screamed once more and fainted there in his arms. Severus caught her lithe body easily and took her over to his desk where he laid her for the time being. He sighed and ran a hand through his lank black hair. "I am getting to old for this." He whispered to himself and flooed the Headmaster to say that Hermione and he would be up to the hospital wing in a few minutes. Of course, the Headmaster took all of this without surprise and just told him to be careful.

* * *

Ron and Harry were called out of their respective classes and ran to the Hospital Wing. They entered breathing heavily and searched for Hermione.

"Boys, calm down, she is asleep and will be fine." Madam Pomfrey told them but it didn't help to calm them at all. They demanded to see her and rushed to her bedside.

Harry looked down at his girlfriend and placed a small kiss on her forehead. He smiled a bit when her eyelids seemed to flutter but a scowl was fixed on his face when she sighed out "Severus". Ron heard it but did nothing to show he had. The two boys sat by her side and took either hand, not noticing the dark shadow in the corner watching over Hermione.

* * *

By dinner that night, all of Hogwarts knew of Hermione's incident in Potions and speculation was abound. She had awoken before dinner, but had chosen to eat the meal in the hospital bed instead of around the curious eyes of her school mates.

That night, when she was sure that most of the Gryfindor Tower had gone to sleep, she walked back to her rooms.

"So, little Miss. Know-It-All has finally snapped, has she?" A drawl came from behind a chair as Hermione entered the common room.

Hermione glared at where the voice was coming from and just went to sit down on the sofa, the end farthest from where Draco was sitting. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Malfoy. Now, if you don't mind I would like to read in some peace and quiet." Her voice quavered a bit, as Draco turned around to look at her.

Draco just laughed. "Read, eh? Then where's your book?" His tone had turned from condescending to concern and he sat on the couch a little nearer to Hermione. "What happened in there? 'Your blood is still stained on my floor; you died in my arms' Granger what happened to you this summer?"

Hermione looked up at him with tears glinting unshed in her eyes. "Nothing Draco, just…nothing. It was all just nothing. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight Draco." She shakily stood up and walked up to her staircase.

"Goodnight Hermione sleep well, and have good dreams." Draco called up to her, and his use of her given name stopped her on the 8th step. Hermione turned around, walked down the stairs and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Thank you." Hermione went back up to her room, and Draco spent the night by the fire, trying desperately to figure out what happened during her summer to make her act the way she was.

Shaking his head, Draco and couldn't help but dwell on what had happened in his dramatic summer to make him change to drastically. It had all started the day 6th year was let out of session.

**(A/N: Cut to Wayne and Garth doing their little dream sequence movements. Sorry I don't know why I put that in there that just came to my mind as I was typing this scene. And now back to the story.)**

The train whistled as it pulled into the station. Draco haughtily walked off the train and looked around for the white, blond hair of his father. But of course, he wasn't there. Draco was met by a house elf he had been practically raised by. The two apperated back to the Malfoy Manor and were greeted by Mrs. Malfoy at the door.

"Draco, my son, how have you been? How has the school year been?" She asked him feigning cheerfulness and happiness.

He sighed and smiled back up at his mother. "Wonderful, I am very pleased; as I am sure you will be of my grades." He handed her a slip of paper and saw her disappointment as soon as she read what was on the paper.

"Second in the class again? Bested by that damnedable Mud-blood, no doubt." She accused of him. "Year after year, she beats you, Draco. Yet you still cannot do better then her, and you continue to soil the Malfoy name."

Draco held his head high in defiance and ripped that paper away from his mother. "I am terribly sorry that I have once again disappointed you, Mother." He spat back at her through gritted teeth. "Where is Father?"

"Up in his study. I would punish you here and now for those grades, but I will let Lucius deal with you." His mother barked this at him and walked back in to her rooms to re-freshen her glass of liquor.

Draco walked up the stairs and made the bends to his father's study. He knocked on the door, not wanting to walk in on a visit from one of Lucius's 'friends' as he had before.

An "Enter" was called. Lucius seeing his son come in from the hallway, quickly rushed to his side and gave him a hug and pat on the back. "Welcome home, my boy. I truly hope that you 6th year of Hogwarts has been as wonderful as the ones before it." Lucius flashed his dazzling smile at his equally handsome son.

"It was Father, and I am so happy to be home." Draco grinned at his father, his only real friend. Many saw Lucius Malfoy as a Death Eater and nasty man who probably abused his wife and son, and was needed to be put to in Azkaban for the crimes that he had probable committed. But Draco knew the real man, the caring man who would protect his son and wife at all cost, even if he had lost the love for his wife long ago.

"And I do suppose that you grades to give me." Lucius raised his hand excepting the parchment in it. Draco handed him the paper and saw the smile on his father's face grow as soon as he saw the grades. "I am so very proud of you, Draco. Second in the class once again, I could not have asked for a more brilliant son."

Draco laughed and hugged his father. That night they sipped at their drinks and talked of the past school year and the one to come.

Narcissa learned of Lucius's warm treatment of their son's grades and became even harsher about it, called her son stupid or dim-witted whenever she got the chance. But Lucius would just praise Draco ever more. It was soon a month before the school year started and then another two months before Draco was to turn 18.

"My son, please come with me. You and I need to have a talk that has been a long time in the making." Lucius called to his son as he was eating breakfast. Draco quickly finished and followed his father's footsteps to the study.

Draco entered the comfortable room, and heard many locking and silencing charms placed on the space once the door had clicked shut behind him "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Father?" Draco nervously sat down in his favorite chair near the fireplace, as it had suddenly grown very cold in the room.

"My son, you know that on you 18th birthday, you will be expected to take the Dark Mark, and follow the Death Eaters and our Dark Lord?" Lucius questioned him, his face unreadable.

"Yes, I know, Father. I know what is expected of me and I will do it." Resignation flashed in Draco's eyes.

Lucius sighed deeply and took a drink from a cup of tea floating in air next to him. "Yes, I knew you would say that. But Draco do you actually believe what the Lord has been saying all these years? And are you ready to follow it with your life?"

Draco shook his head slightly. "No, Father. I believe what you have told me all these years. And I am ready to follow you."

"Then listen here and believe what I am about to say." Lucius looked around the room and once again placed more silencing charms on the room. The talk soon grew to a hushed whisper. "I have been a spy since before you were born, and I wish you to join me. I know how dangerous it is, but I have made myself a very nice place with the Dark Lord and I am sure you will be there next to me out of as much danger as I can allow. My son, I have never believed what the Lord has said nor of his practices, but unfortunately your mother does, so you must not talk of this at all." Draco nodded his head and allowed his father to continue on with his story. The story started with when he took the mark and then with the companionship of Severus Snape (at this Draco gasped, surprised his Potions Master and uncle was a spy) went to Albus Dumbledore for forgiveness and mercy.

The plan was quickly formulated that the two would be spies for the side of Light and to keep themselves alive at all costs. The two men took these instructions and never again spoke to each other of that night. Soon, they found themselves in the trusted inner circle of the Dark Lord, but Severus was becoming in danger with his lack of action and information.

Lucius had told his son, all of the details, spearing nothing. When he had taken the mark, his first Dark Revel, the night she was told that he would marry a Narcissa Black, his begging for mercy, and the many nights that followed. Lucius even told all that he knew of the young Hermione Granger that Severus had fallen in love with one summer when they were 18, before the mark was taken. Draco was in a stunned silence throughout the story and knew that he would follow in his father's footsteps by taking up the role as spy and helping the Order and the side of Light as much as he could.

When Draco had told this to his father, he was clapped on the back and his father radiated pride for his brave son.

"Son, you must understand that your behavior towards Harry Potter and his friends must not change. You cannot change." Lucius warned his son, but a quizzical glance crossed Draco's face. "Yes?"

"But, father, what of Hermione Granger? I will no doubt be sharing the Head Boy and Girl quarters with her, and you have told me of the relationship that went on between her and Uncle Severus this past summer. She will need someone there for her and I could help her."

Lucius smiled at his son. "You do what you feel you must do. But if things get too far, and she begins questioning you, tell her your story and that have become a spy." Draco couldn't believe that his father was telling him that if anyone asked him what his standing was to tell them that he was a spy. But Lucius interrupted him before he could attack him. "Now, that is not to say that anyone who should ask about you that you should tell him you are a spy. But she does know that Severus is a spy, as does Harry Potter and a Ron Weasley, she will need something she can relate to in you so that she may feel more comfortable around you."

That night had ended with questions unanswered, but Draco knew that once he got back to school, that he would not change unless in the presence of Hermione Granger alone. He would help her through the terrible year that was ahead and make sure her and Uncle Severus were happy by the end of it.

**A/N: hey guys, whoo that took a long time in getting out. But I had LPA, a dance DUH, and homework so writing had to be put to the side for a short time. **

**And I read on Ashwinder that J.K. Rowling announced that Snape's birthday was January 9th, which makes him a Capricorn. For people who like that kind of stuff, go read up on the characteristics of Caps, it is so creepy.**

**I hope you guys like this new chapter, and have a great time waiting for July 16th when the 6th book comes out! BYE **


	13. Either way you choose, you cannot win

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 13: Either way you choose, you cannot win.

**A/N: a bit of bad language in this one, just to warn you. ENJOY!**

* * *

And so there was Draco, sitting the in Great Hall, waiting for that night so that he may learn about what happened with his Uncle and this strange girl.

She really was strange to him. Hermione Granger, so unusual yet so strong, she had lived a hard life in her short years yet at this moment was being terrified by the fact that she had very, very recently been reunited with her love but was currently dating her best friend/hero. He needed to find out what happened before she self-destructed.

* * *

That night, Hermione wearily walked into her common room. Her day had been hell. Everywhere she turned, questions were flung at her face about why she had "pitched a spazz", as one 5th year had asked, or she heard the whisperings of the rumors floating around. Even Harry and Ron wouldn't leave her alone.

Ron was a bit gentler about it. He only asked what happened, took her answer when she said that she didn't want to talk about it, and didn't talk about it the rest of the day. He even went so far as to tell off a group of 3rd year Hufflepuffs that wouldn't leave her alone.

But Harry, being the boyfriend was different. Harry had asked her about why she had said Professor Snape's name in the Infirmary, but she having no answer, or at least one that was suitable for Harry, had received a none too kind punishment for insolence and arrogance. All Hermione wanted to do now was sit in her nice, comfy chair, in front of the fire, with her well-worn Hogwarts: A History, and fall asleep. But she had about as much luck that night as Snape had had a few days before. Draco was sitting in her chair as she came into the common room.

"Please, Malfoy, get up. I am really not in the mood for any of your games. I just want to relax." Hermione pleaded with him, sounding very stressed. She placed her hand on her forehead and sighed deeply.

Draco stood up and swept his hand, bowing slightly, and allowed her to sit down. He took a place at the couch and getting as close to her chair as he could get. "Hermione, I need to talk to you."

As he said these words a look of pain rushed to her face. The usually rosy cheeks blanched. Her head rolled back to lean on the back of the chair and she closed her eyes. "No, Draco, no talking. I just want to have peace and quiet. I can't talk about it any more." Hermione sighed.

"But I know the facts of what happened to him after he 'died in your arms'." Draco made quotation marks in the air. Hermione's ears perked up at this. He finally had her attention.

"How do you know about that? I only told two people, no one else knows."

"I didn't hear it from one of your sources, Hermione. I had a source that was there with your lover, Severus, when he returned from his trip. And oh, yes it is reliable." He saw the look on her face as she tried desperately to think of who could have been there. Draco just sat there and let the light shine above her head before he nodded. "That's right, Hermione. My father was there with Uncle Severus, and he, which means now I, know everything of what went on."

Hermione looked at Draco, her expression of fear and complete terror. "Oh, my gods! You know? Please, Draco, don't tell anyone, don't tell Harry, please. I'll be good, I won't see Severus, just please don't tell Harry." Her eyes flashed wildly as she got down on her knees by his legs and grabbed a hold of him, shaking terribly.

"What are you going on about, Granger? Why would I tell Potter anything?" She still didn't let go, become even more frightened. "And why…what has he been doing to you?" His mind went clear as the remembrances of those times he would see the two of them in the hall together, Harry's fingers turning white as he gripped her sides, and Hermione slightly grimacing but showing very little pain. "Hermione?" He joined her on the floor. "Tell me please." He implored her, but she just shrank back from him, and shook her head like a little child. "Look, you tell me and I'll tell you something, alright?"

Hermione looked up at him and saw the concern. "Yeah, alright." And the story just poured out of her mouth. Draco somewhere throughout the story had stood up, laughed, cried silently, smashed his fist against the wall, and swore that he would kill that Potter for touching her.

"He's been doing that to you, since you began dating? Why have you put up with this? You're so much stronger then this, I know you can beat this."

"No, no. Sirius said that if I date Harry I will forget all about Severus and I will be happy." Hermione put on a brave face as she spoke her mantra out loud. Her head rocked back and forth as she repeated this quietly to herself.

Draco, with a bit of loose bandaging on his knuckles, came up to her and stood her up. He walked her over to a mirror that was in the very corner of the room, a change Hermione had made almost instantly. "Hermione, look at yourself. You can't go on living like this. You need to get away from Harry or he is going to kill you."

Draco forcefully turned Hermione's head towards the mirror and made her look at her reflection.

Hermione gasped at what she saw, and big drops of tears rolled down her face. Her skin had become pale and sallow, losing the entirety of the healthy glow she had gained during the summer. She was nursing a black eye, and a swollen lip that she had received that evening. Her hair had gone back to its frizzy state and her robes hung loosely on her tired form. Hermione had stared at herself as long as she could before ripping her eyes away and grasping to Draco, sobbing into his robes.

"See, he is killing you slowly. If you don't get out now, you are going to die."

Hermione wiped her nose on her sleeve and dried her tears. She smiled at him and shook her head. "Yeah, but Draco if I leave him now, he'll kill me and you and Severus, just to try and look for the reason why I left him. So no matter what I choose I will die anyway. At least with this way, I'll be able to watch Severus, and make sure the rest of my friends will be happy. Even if I am not"

Draco swallowed what she had said and vowed to make sure that she would be happy, and that Harry was going to pay oh, so dearly for what he was doing to his new found friend. The solemn moment hung in the air, as Hermione dried the rest of her tears, got rid of her sniffles and laughed a bit at her foolishness.

"Now, Draco, I think it's time that you held up on your end of the bargain. Tell me your story." Hermione looked at him in eyes and smiled a bit as he squirmed a bit under her gaze.

Draco laughed and led her back to the couch. "Oh, so now its time for my story? Well you see it started about 18 years ago when my father, very randy at the time most likely, and mother, who probably…"

"Stop, oh gods, just stop right now." Hermione held her hand up to her mouth. "If you continue I think I may throw up." Hermione was laughing very hard and Draco was glad to see her face brighten. "You know what I mean."

Draco shook his head. "Ah yes that story." He moved to pace in front of the fireplace. "You see my father was the biggest hero to me. What he said and did was what I believed to be right. This was how I thought till this last summer. He sat me down about 3 weeks ago, and said _'Draco, listen to me now. I have been a spy since before you were born. I took the Dark Mark when I was young and foolish. I did not understand the consequences. After Lily and James died, I couldn't take it anymore. I and your Uncle Severus went to find Dumbledore to confess our sins. We never would have thought that we would receive mercy. We did but with a price. The two of us have been spies ever since. And though, I know how dangerous it is, I think it is time you joined me.' _" Draco stopped his pacing a looked at Hermione for the reaction to hearing the name of her lover. But her face was blank, just listening to the story. "I, of course, agreed. I never really believed in the whole 'Purebloods supremacy' or anything but I thought my father did. Now, I can finally fight for what I, myself, believe in and not what anyone else tells me to believe in. So in the next two months, I will be taking the Dark Mark and join my father as a spy." Draco had paced through out his tale but Hermione had watched him the whole way.

"Wow that is a story." Hermione stated. "Do you know when you are going to take the Dark Mark?"

"Why, your not planning on joining me are you?"

Hermione shook her head and stood next to him. "Of course not. I just want to know so I can be here to help you and most likely heal you, after you get back." Draco faced her and kissed her chastely on the cheek.

"I had better not do that in front of Uncle Severus. He would hex my balls off."

* * *

Headmaster Dumbledore entered Severus's offices as he had so many times before. "So, I'm guessing you've heard the rumors. I don't know if I can go through that again. I have too much in front of me right now, to be so overtly concerned with her." Severus stood up and smashed his fist straight through the marble of his fireplace. "God, damn her. If she just would have fucking stayed away or not helped me when I showed up at her door step, it would all be fine. But no, that little know-it-all Mud-blood bitch had to play savior."

He took his vengeance out on some meaningless vase and breathed heavily for a second, before hearing the Headmaster.

"Severus, settle down. It does not matter what she did or not, we can not change what has happened now." Dumbledore led the fuming man to his chair. "And just think, it may be different next time you two meet." Dumbledore said this cryptically but Severus didn't really catch on, he was much too worried about the next Potions class.

"Albus, don't be such a fool and don't try to turn me into one either. Nothing good can come of this. Nothing. She will be hurt beyond recognition and so will I." Severus sighed and sat down ungracefully. "Why did she have to come back? Why did I have to come back?"

"You know those answers, my boy. So don't ask me. She will come back for you, you know. Please think before you push her away. You must think of what she went through in the duration of your stay with her." Dumbledore sat down also. "You showed up on her doorstep, broken and exhausted. She fell in love with you and you with her. And then as your time together dwindled down, she lost her virginity to you and held you as you almost died in her arms. I don't know how she was even able to arrive back at school."

"But I did not react the way she did the first time I saw her. I remained calm and locked myself away from the temptation like any normal wizard may."

Dumbledore laughed. "Well, no you did not react the way she did. But I do remember you as you returned from that trip long ago, I was with you when her name was called during her Sorting Ceremony, and I was also with you when you saw her as she got off that train this year."

"But, Albus what can I do? She is with that Potter now. I see them together in the halls; he keeps his hands on her and is very protective, as I would be. There is nothing I can do. I am lost to her."

* * *

Potions had soon came around and all the students in Hermione's class were waiting anxiously to see her reaction this time. But there would be none. Hermione was the first to enter the class, after she made sure that Professor Snape was in there, and she was the first to leave, rushing out of the room. Hermione didn't raise her hand to answer questions and Snape didn't even look her way when he would be asking. The two of them basically ignored each other. He also side-stepped her table when stalking through the aisles checking potions and Hermione would keep her head down the whole class, stiffening when he would stride very quickly past her table.

* * *

The first part of the school year passed in relative calm, after the incident. And most students had moved from it and on to other rumors that were passing en masse through out the school. Hermione was sticking next to Harry more in public but in private would run from him and dash to her rooms. She was slowly getting away from his tyranny and Draco couldn't be happier. But, of course, he couldn't show this in front of his housemates. He had to keep up the façade of 'Death Eater in training'.

A large, beautiful eagle soared into the common room and Draco rushed to it. He ripped open the letter and recognized his father's handwriting.

Draco,

It is time. I shall come and gather you tomorrow night at 11 o'clock sharp. Be ready and make me proud.

L.M.

So the time had finally come, and Draco would be made into to a Death Eater. Hermione entered the room as he read the letter and held his hand as they both gathered up the courage for they must soon face.

* * *

"Severus I am not sure if I can let Draco go through this." Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his old friend's study, waiting very impatiently until 11 o'clock, when he was to pick up his son.

Severus sat next to his friend and patted him on the back. "You must. The Dark Lord will be even more suspicious of you if you would not let him become a Death Eater. And what we need now are forces inside getting information. He trusts you more then me, and the Order needs you right now."

"I know this, but it is still hard to put him in such danger."

The clock rang 11 times, and the two of them flooed to the Head Boy's common room. They entered the room to see Draco and Hermione sitting together, waiting. Lucius stared at Hermione not believing that Potter's girl had grown up so wonderfully, but lingered no longer as he felt Severus stiffen terribly at his right.

Lucius cleared his throat and the two of them looked up. Hermione met eyes with Severus for an instant before wishing Draco good luck, kissing him on the cheek, and running up stairs. That kiss made Severus angrier then he would show and his wicked jealously reared its ugly head. His fists clenched and unclenched viciously at his side.

"Are you ready, Draco?" Lucius asked breaking through the stony silence.

Draco nodded his head. "Yes, father. I'm ready."

Lucius walked to his son and gave him a rare hug. Father and son stood there for seconds before the Mark on both Lucius and Severus's arm began to burn. The moment was broken as reality hit. "Now you remember what you must do? Keep your head clear of any thoughts, show no pain or emotions of any kind, and be always reverent and subservient, do not forget your place. Do you understand?"

"I do, please, let's just go." Draco put on the blank face and readied himself for what was to come.

The three of them went through a series of passageways and tunnels till they reached the outside, and then they walked to the Hogwarts main gates. Soon all that was left of them were footprints and the great sense of foreboding that hung in the air, as they went to meet their fate.

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for such great reviews. I love you so much. And I know a lot of you have said how much you really want Harry to get what he deserves, don't worry he will, and it will be fun for me to write. **

**I know that Draco seems a bit OC but, I like Draco, he's a great character and I don't like to make him evil. So just remember that he acts the same he always has in public and just lets his true colors shine through when he is alone with the few people he considers his real friends.**

**I got this out fast just for you guys, I hope you like and please review, I do love them so. BYE! BIG BIG SMILEY FACE**


	14. Bow down before the one you serve

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 14: Bow down before the one you serve

* * *

The three newcomers took their places at the feet of the Dark Lord. They kneeled quickly not wanting to incur the wrath of Voldemort. All eyes present were focused on the three young people with bowed heads.

"My loyal followers, tonight we have new members that wish to join in our ranks." The Death Eaters remained silent trying to gauge the threat these three people were to them.

This gathering place was barren and stark, only a few trees where present. The moon was hidden by the fierce looking storm clouds that had appeared. All that could be heard through the trees of this deserted place was the soft blow of the wind. But even the wind quieted as the Dark Lord slipped into each of the initiate's minds to make sure of their loyalty.

The first was a young girl, around 20 years old. Her hair was strawberry blond and fell past her waist, which was very small. Any one could see how beautiful this girl was, with her pierced blue eyes and red lips. As she bowed there many Death Eaters could be heard whispering how they couldn't wait to get their hands on her, but she only kept her head bowed in reverence.

Voldemort went through her memories and saw how, even though her family was pureblood, had fought against the Dark Lord for three generations. It also showed how her family had wanted her to become an Auror, she denied this of course and proclaimed her hatred for Muggles and Muggle-born. The girl swiftly got out of that home and was staying with a friend, another Death Eater.

The next was a young boy, he was about 17. His black hair was cut very close to his head and his nose was clearly broken a few times, but was still very cute (**A/N: kinda like Owen Wilson)**. His wiry frame was sitting on his knees and the position he was in hid his height, which was about 6'7. The boy had come from a long line of Death Eaters, and many of the older members recognized him immediately. He had the raw passion and disgust against Muggles that would prove to be very good in the terms of late night Revels.

Draco was last. He kept his head down and his mind clear as he felt the Dark Lord come into his mind and rifle through his thoughts and memories. As his father had taught him since he was a child, he only showed what he wanted the Dark Lord to see and nothing more. There was a slight resistance but Draco gave way a bit to avoid suspicion. Soon the only one in his mind was him and he was grateful for having passed that small test.

"Arise, my new followers. You are apart of this group, until you die or until I kill you." Voldemort said this as all the Death Eaters repeated part of the phrase, "Until you die." There was a stony silence again as Voldemort stood, putting his weight on the corner of his mighty throne. "Wormtail, bring it to me." No one dared to whisper but they were all wondering how Wormtail was there by the Dark Lord's side. They had all heard of this little ingrate being caught by that woman Auror, a great shame to be caught by a woman. The command was short but it definitely got the point across, as Wormtail scurried away to get the wand and bring it to his master.

"Reveal your arms to me." The new Death Eaters raised their left arms and rolled the sleeves up past their elbows. The wand was brought in and it lit up a violent green as it was made ready. The young girl was first, she did not even wince in pain and many could see the impressed look on Voldemort's face. The boy was next; he grimaced and let out a small hiss of pain but quickly shut up as the pressure and pain increased. Draco held out his arm and felt the hot wand dig into his skin.

He could feel the spell wriggling around under his skin and felt it as it wound its way through his heart and soul. The pain lasted for so long but Draco was used to pain, he showed no pain on his face keeping it neutral.

Soon the wand was removed and Draco peeked down at his forearm, looking fascinatedly at the new Mark he had received.

"My followers, you are dismissed until my next Dark Revel when these young initiates will truly be brought in." The evil smirk never left his face as the Death Eaters quickly apperated away.

Severus and Lucius went quickly to try and collect Draco, so they could get out of there as soon as possible. They both walked to the young blonde's side and were about to apperate away when a voice stopped them. "Severus, Draco, stay. I am in need of a word with you."

Draco's eyes closed as he tried to clear his mind once again, not wanting to take any chances. His uncle pulled him to Voldemort's throne. "Yes, my Dark Lord, we are here only to serve you." Severus spoke and kissed the hems of Voldemort's cloak, and Draco soon followed.

"Of course, you are, Severus. But I came upon some very interesting news today." His eyes lowered to the two men and the feigned happiness melted into anger. "Why was I not told sooner that that Potter boy is dating the Mudblood bitch of his?" His rage shook the ground slightly. Voldemort stood up with Pettigrew groveling at his side. "Severus, you are my spy inside that bloody school of his. This will not go over looked. Draco seeing as how this is your first offense against me, I will go lightly, but do expect to be begging for mercy before the end." Pain did scare Draco but he kept his face neutral not wanting to anger the Dark Lord even further.

Voldemort let out a wheezing laugh. "I will not waste my time on you two, but you still will get your just punishment." He snapped his long, spidery like fingers. "Avery, Nott, Goyle, Crabbe." The four men popped into the space in the rapid succession in which they were called.

"Yes, master." Avery said as they kneeled by their Lord.

"Teach these men the meaning of servitude." A wicked smile spread on Nott's face, as he loved the violence that his Death Eater life awarded him. "And no wands, I want them to feel each blow to them. Goyle, Crabbe, do not hurt the junior Mallory too terribly." The two gargantuan men dumbly nodded their heads as they walked towards Draco.

Avery and Nott advanced on the still bent Severus. They pounced stealthily on him, attacking him in the most delicate of places first; to make sure he couldn't fight back. Goyle and Crabbe took their time with Draco and leisurely threw the punches and kicks his way.

Soon the rain of punches subsided for Severus and Draco and a laughing and panting Avery, Nott, Goyle, and Crabbe were awarded for their services. The punishment had taken only twenty minutes but it seemed hours long for the two men.

"Lucius gather them up and get them out of my sight. And make sure they know that if they dare visit the Infirmary they will not live past the next meeting." Voldemort whispered this command to Malfoy Sr., who was bent in a deep bow and apperated away with Pettigrew popping out next.

"Don't worry. You will be home soon and safe." Lucius held both of them as he apperated them back to the Hogwart's gates.

* * *

Lucius ran as fast as he could back through the maze of tunnels and passages that the three of them had taken earlier that night. He came into the Head Boy/Girl common room and placed his son gently on the couch. He was about the floo back to Severus's rooms when a voice graced his ears.

"Oh my gods, Draco!" Hermione had frantically come down the stairs and ran to Draco when she had heard a door open and close. Her head tilted up when to look at Lucius. She saw just the barest of glimpses at Severus's beaten form but Lucius was smart enough to step in front on the man before she saw more.

"Miss. Granger, please wait with my son until I can return. I must attend to Severus right away." He said no more, and before Hermione could question him he flooed to the rooms. Hermione quickly took care of Draco, taking away the dried blood, healing his wounds and bruises, and checking for any internal injuries or broken bones. Finding none she left him to sleep and flooed to Severus.

Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace and into the rooms as Lucius was sifting through a potions cabinet. Not bothering to dust herself off she took off to find where he was.

Lucius glanced up with a surprised look, not surprised as Hermione came into the room but surprised that she had waited so long. "Miss. Granger I told you to stay with my son."

"I have taken care of him and he is sleeping exactly where you left him. Now, please, tell me where he is. Where is Severus?" Hermione was panting and trembling with fear. Lucius saw her trepidation and felt his heart slightly go out to her. But instantly it pulled back as he recalled how hard it was to deal with Severus the months and years after his incident with Hermione.

"Leave now, Miss. Granger. I assure you that I will take care of him to the best of my knowledge. All you will do is get in the way." Lucius turned his back on the girl and went back to searching in the cabinet.

Hermione with that classic defiant look on her face approached him. "Now, listen here, Mr. Malfoy you tell me this instant where Severus is so that I may take care of him." Lucius began to open his mouth the insult the girl and tell her to leave once more but Hermione stopped him immediately. "And don't you say a word. If there has been one thing I learned by being friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley it is how to treat injuries."

Hermione placed her hands on her hips and stood her ground just asking for Lucius to speak up against her once more. But he knew that he wasn't going to win this. So Lucius sighed and pointed to a door. "That way, Miss. Granger."

Hermione practically ran to him, but she stopped as soon as she entered the room. Blood was soaking through the linens on the bed, his clothes were torn revealing terrible wounds underneath and definately a few broken bones, too. His face though was almost unrecognizable. The nose was definitely broken, he had to black eyes, and a gash ran from the left of his forehead across his eyebrow, his nose and down to the right side of his jaw. His lips were torn and bleeding and huge lumps were appearing on the sides of his head.

"Oh, Severus what have they done to you?" Hermione sat on the bed next to him and pushed the bloody hair away from his face.

Severus's eyes opened, barely though. He licked his lips as best he could and groaned as he tried to speak. "Hermione is that you?" His voice was crackling and was no louder then a whisper. She nodded as the tears welled up in her eyes. "Why did you leave me? I needed you so badly, why did you leave?" Tears ran down his face re-wetting the dried blood.

"Severus, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I love you so much." But he had already slipped into that heavenly bliss of unconsciousness. Hermione slumped down on him and cried her eyes out. "I will never leave you again. That I promise you." She whipped her nose and cleared Severus of his wounds easily. The bones were mended as best she could and the gash on his face was turning into a long scar that would last him his life. She cleaned away the dried blood and kissed his forehead as she took her leave of the room.

* * *

The next few minutes were a blur to Hermione as she shut the door to the room and told Lucius that he was asleep. Her Head Girl status allowed Hermione the privilege of being able to be out of bed at anytime and she was going to take full advantage of that. As a detour from her rooms she stopped by the kitchens to make some Chai Tea to calm her nerves, as the 'smell of Christmas' usually did. When Hermione opened the door she was greeted by Dobby very nicely but she only managed a polite "hi". The house elves gathered around her pestering her to let them make her some food by Dobby chased them off and made sure she was left alone.

Her trek back to the common room took the rest of the night as she sipped her tea along the way and her mind wandered to what Severus had said to her. When Hermione entered the room she checked on Draco and pulled out some potion bottles to relieve the pain that he was sure to have when he woke up. She set them down on the side table and flopped in the chair that was facing the couch. Her eyes scanned over Draco's face. Hermione saw his peaceful form as he slept but cringed when her eyes would reach over the little white lines that would go away after a day or two. The night passed with Hermione in a stupor staring at Draco but thinking about Severus.

Soon a moan emitted from the sleeping figure on the couch.

"Draco, hold still. I will get you pain relieving potions." He complied with her as she got the potions. "OK, here drink these. These will make all of the pain go away."

He nodded his head just slightly as he opened his mouth. The liquids were poured down his throat. Soon Draco's pain cleared as did the fog in his head, but once the fog lifted the memories of the night before flooded back to him. These brought about another moan.

"Draco, are you OK? Is there any extra pain?" Hermione looked over him worried and felt his torso for any remaining wounds.

But he pushed her hands off quickly. "I told you, if Uncle Severus caught us together like that he would hex my balls right off, and I must say I am very fond of them." Draco smiled that famous smirk of his and opened his eyes to find the golden honey eyes of a greatly reassured Hermione staring back to him.

Hermione laughed and hugged him tightly. "Oh, I am so glad. I was scared that I had messed up a healing charm or two when I was helping you last night."

"No, no, no I'm fine. Hey speaking of, how is my good-old uncle? Did father take care of him alright?" Draco's tone faded from light to a very scared as he saw Hermione's smile fade and her eyes water. "What's wrong with him? Is he not OK?" Draco was shaking slightly and he talking like a little child in trouble. His face became serious as the thought of his uncle beaten to death because of him made tears come to his eyes and threaten to spill over.

Hermione noticed the tears brimming over. "He is alive and he will live. It's just something he told me last night." She had planned to stop there but Draco's face just made her elaborate.

"Alright I'll tell you, after I cured you, I flooed down to his rooms. Your father was quiet adamant that I return to you but I was just as stubborn as seeing Severus, enough so that he gave up and let me stay. When I walked in, oh gods Draco, I hardly recognized him. His face was terribly beaten and his injuries were worse then worse. He had more broken bones then I had ever fixed before. His bed was soaked almost through with his blood. After a while, I couldn't stand it I had to leave. I made sure he was asleep, cleaned him up and left." Hermione was sitting on the couch and she was gripping her robes so tightly her fingers were turning white.

Draco blinked away the tears and took her hand away from her robes. "Hermione he was hallucinating. He still thought that he was eighteen years old and that you had returned to him. It will be OK, I promise. He won't remember what he said or anything that happened last night when you were talking to him."

"I know Draco, that's just what I'm afraid of. I want him to remember, so badly I do."

* * *

The conversation ended there as the two of them headed down to breakfast. They both noticed that absence of Professor Snape from the Head Table and they said a very discreet good-bye as they ventured off to their respective enemy tables.

"Herm, I don't know how you can stand to live with that boy." Ron said as she sat down at the table. "I would kill myself." Harry and Ginny laughed slightly as she noticed Professor Snape enter through the side door by the Head Table.

Hermione glanced over to Draco who had seen the entrance too and had a worried look on his face. Harry also noticed the entry but his eyes were dancing with laughter.

He put an arm around her waist. "Oh man look at the grease-ball today. He looks like some one beat him over the head with an ugly stick a couple of times." Ron and Harry both laughed but Ginny just reached under the table and took a hold of Hermione's hand to keep the outburst from happening. "No, not just the stick the whole tree walloped the git upside the head." Harry and Ron were crying with laughter by this point and Ginny was starting to wince with pain as Hermione squeezed her hand harder and harder.

"Gin, you OK? You don't look very good." Ron said as he saw Ginny's grimace. He looked over to Hermione to comment to her too, but the look of seething hatred on her face stopped him from saying anything.

But Harry was never accused of being intelligent. "What do you think Hermione: stick or tree?" He asked.

That was it; Hermione stormed up from the table and flew from the Great Hall in a fit of fury. Her plate had spilled in front of her as did her pumpkin juice. Hermione had finally snapped when it came to Harry and she just couldn't wait until the next time she saw him, he was going to get what was coming to him. Oh gods how she wished he would follow her.

* * *

**A/N: ok, ok I know that I promised a little Harry ass-kicking this chapter but it just turned out as a preamble to it. Sorry it will be next chapter I promise. I had gone further from this point but I had to switch it to a new chapter, it didn't flow right. So the next chapter is when it will be. **

**And the Chai Tea, yes it does taste like Christmas, at least that's what me and all of friends think. **

**Thanks so much for all of my reviewers. I hope you guys liked this one, if so tell me with a beautiful thing called a review. They always do make me oh so happy. **

**I could even make my own commercial about reviews, "After a long, hard day at school I like to relax with a great big pile of reviews." Then I take a drink of Chai Tea. **

**Ok so I'm hyper today, sorry. But review please and read lots. BYE!**


	15. Broken Road

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 15: Broken Road

Hermione had gone down to breakfast ready to try and put what had happened last night as far out of her mind as possible. And it had started good, Ron was there to make his nice joke, and Harry was there to hold her. But then he had to come in.

When Severus came in and sat down at his usual seat he looked almost as bad as he did last night. The white jagged scar was still very prominent and he has holding his ribs tenderly and had a slight limp to his walk. But he entered the room proudly and sat down where he was expected. And for that Hermione loved him even more, if that was even possible.

Then she tuned back to what he friends had been saying and heard Harry, making those terrible remarks. She had never wanted to cause so much pain to one person in her entire life before. Ginny was gripping her hand, and Hermione was sure that she was cutting off circulation, but she didn't care, she needed something to hold her back from just outright killing Harry.

Ron soon noticed Ginny's pain and was about the talk to her about it but he noticed that she was on the verge of exploding. The next moment happened and Hermione wasn't sure if she was glad it happened or not. It definitely gave her the reasons so that she could justify beating Harry, but it was also such rude comments that she was sure if Severus had heard them, all four of them would have received a week's worth of detention.

Hermione left the table when she was brought into the conversation and dashed up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower were she could think about things. It was also a nice spot to hopefully get Harry alone to make him pay for her pain. She had had enough pain, enough hurt that was caused by him. The strong Hermione had taken a little vacation for a while as weak Hermione had been dating Harry, but not anymore. Strong Hermione was back with a vengeance and when strong Hermione saw what weak Hermione had allowed Harry to do to her, she knew that things had to change.

"Hermione, hey Hermione!" Harry called after her. He just turned to Ron for help.

"Don't look at me mate; I don't know what's going on with her." Ron said defensively. "But I wouldn't go after her, she looks beyond pissed."

Ginny, who had seen Hermione look back to Harry as an almost evil beg for him to follow, intervened. "No, Harry you should follow her, she looked mad but she looked back at you so that you could follow her. I think she is upset with something and she needs you to be there."

'There,' Ginny thought, 'that was the truth; Hermione does need Harry to be there so she could kick his arse from here to the States and back.

"I think your right Gin, but where did she go?" Harry pondered this as Ginny stared incredulously at him.

"Come on, Harry, your supposed to be her boyfriend. It's Hermione where do you think she went. Where do you think she has ever gone when she has gone off by herself to think?"

Harry thought for a second and came up with an answer so stupid even Ron had to smack him in the back of the head. "I dunno the library?" And there was the smack. "Ow, the hurt my skull, hor!"

Ginny was just shaking her head. "No, Harry. Hermione may love books but she's not that predictable. She went up to her spot on the Astronomy Tower."

Harry thought for just a minute longer with his mouth slightly open. "Oh…all the gods…would you just go up there!" Ginny shouted at him. This made the whole of the Great Hall look at them. But most importantly it made two people take great notice where Harry Potter was going.

Harry cringed as Ginny yelled at him and got up from his seat at the Gryffindor table rather quickly. But his composure was soon regained as he calmly walked from the Great Hall to find his girlfriend. His mind was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice a shadow following him.

Draco had heard the commotion and had heard mention of Hermione. But he just smirked regally as he always did and sent an insult to the 'Boy Wonder' that only the Slytherin table could hear. They laughed of course, but he bid them all farewell and left with a great panic in his heart to find Hermione before Harry did.

Hermione was up sitting on her spot. It was well secluded from the rest of the Tower and most didn't even know that it existed. But she had. Hermione had found this spot in her lonely days in the first year before she befriended Ron and Harry. She had wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her chest. Her mind reeled with conflicting emotions, she had loved Harry but she still loved Severus. She could never hurt Harry but what he had done to her deserved so much more pain then what she wanted to give to him. But her mind had been made up; she would stop being weak, stop being quiet and shy. Hermione Granger was going to stand up to her abusive boyfriend and kick his arse.

Harry walked up the long stairs to the Tower and felt such a sense of sorrow emanating from behind the door that it almost choked him. But he forced himself up the rest of the steps and was ready to speak with Hermione and then give her a good smack around to make sure that she knew his displeasure and how much he was worried about her. Harry entered the Tower and walked over to where Ginny said Hermione would be. Seeking her out would most definitely be the beginning of the end.

Hermione was waning now on her resolve to make Harry feel the pain that she had felt for so long. But once he came into view, strong Hermione took over and she was adamant that she wasn't going to let him get away unscathed.

"Hermione? Are you alright? You ran from the Hall so fast, what's wrong?" Harry called out to her timidly. But he gained his countenance as the man and a strong one at that as he saw Hermione's tiny frame rise from where she was sitting.

"No, Harry I am perfectly fine. I was just in a very big mental quandary. But not to worry, I have made it up." Hermione stood up from where she was sitting and with the spark of hatred and revenge in her eyes stalked over to Harry.

Harry had seen her walking to him, her movements fluid and graceful. He opened his arms to her but quickly brought them down as he felt the pure energy radiating off of Hermione and the look of enraged anger in her eyes.

He only got one word out before the attack was made. "Hermione…?" The sentence was distinctly stopped by the braking of his nose in one hit.

Hermione heard her name and this began her fist swinging. She felt in impact and the crackle of bones beneath her knuckles.

"HOLY FUCK, HERMIONE! What the hell was that for?" He gripped his nose painfully as the blood flowed seamlessly from it.

Hermione just surveyed him and tightened her fists once again. "Oh, Harry you have no idea how amazing that felt. But I'm sure you will soon."

She sprung at him. He stopped her fists this time but didn't have enough time to react to her well placed knee. It smartly smashed straight up into his crotch. This hit took his breath away as he fell to the floor in sheer agony. But Hermione didn't stop there. Her pleasure in all of this was just beginning.

The tears were flowing freely down his face as he was gasping for air like a fish out of water. Hermione walked up to him with such anger and resentment in her eyes. "Harry, you could have been my savior. The one that could have saved me from the darkness I was in. But you just dragged me down with you into the very throne of Hell." The word 'hell' was accented by a swift kick to his ribs and another after that. Her exhilaration was flying out of control.

"Hermione… please stop… you don't want to do this." His pleas for mercy were met with deaf ears as she continued with her revenge.

Another kick, but this time to his back, sent him reeling in pain. Then Hermione knelt down beside him. "Oh, Harry please don't beg. Pleading does not look good on you." Her fist connected with the side of his head. All of her control was lost and she was bound to the fiery will of her damaged self.

She then grabbed him by his hair and pummeled his face with blows. By then his cheeks were cut to shreds and his nose was a deep purple and red. Her reign of pain on his precious face, that face he had so loved and took great care of, lasted for no more then five minutes but her lithe hands did what they had intended to do.

Harry had fallen quiet after she dropped his head to the floor. It had made such a satisfying 'thunk' on the hard concrete. "Oh, great thanks Harry. Blood is such a bitch to get out of these robes. And trust me I know." She stood up and kicked him in the legs wanted, almost desperately needing, to feel the brake. Not hearing any groans, she spoke up once more. "Come on, speak to me. I know you're in there. Beg for my mercy." She kneeled next to him and placed a blow to his head, and a few more, which caused his scalp to split open, and also the rest of her knuckles to split open. Hermione stood once again and saw his unmoving form.

Panic seized her as she kicked him very hard in the stomach and ribs a few times. He twitched as her foot hit but spoke no more. "Come on, Harry, cry out." Another kick vented her rage. "CRY OUT GOD DAMN IT!"

Her foot again collided with his body and she felt his left arm and a few more ribs brake under her force. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Cry out, please" She was begging with him to make some sort of movement that he was there and suffering under her hand. "Please cry out" She was weeping a bit next to him as she punched him in the face, but not as hard as before.

This was the wonderful scene that Draco walked in on when he finally found her.

Draco had been searching throughout the castle for a good hour and a half. No one had seen or had any idea where Hermione or Harry may have gone. He kept looking though. He was walking past the stairs of the Astronomy Tower when he heard a feminine cry. His thoughts immediately went to Hermione as he dashed up the stairs. He reached the door and only soft sobs could be heard now.

He slowly opened the gigantic wood door and the sight that was before him was one that he would never forget. Hermione was sitting next to Harry with blood all over her hands and some splattered on her face. Her hair was flowing wildly around her. He noticed Harry wasn't moving and was so sure that he had come in to late to save Harry from Hermione's anger.

"Hermione? Are you OK?" Hermione looked up at him and eyed him oddly for a second before she realized who he was. The next instant she was in his arms crying.

"Draco, he won't cry out. I keep asking him and hitting him but he still wont cry out." She face had a look of terror and fear on it like he had never seen.

"Did you kill him?" Draco was so afraid to ask that question. If she had then Hermione would be sent to Azkaban, no trial, no nothing.

She glanced over to Harry's unmoving figure. "I don't know. He stopped moving a while ago but I think he is still alive."

Draco went to check on the badly beaten boy. As he got closer he really saw the damage that Hermione had caused. His face was in tatters. No inch of skin was left without a cut. His nose looked to be broken about five times over and his lips were so swollen and cut so badly that Draco couldn't even look at them. His eyes were closing in on themselves, making sure that even if Harry was awake he couldn't see. Lumps were forming on the side of his head and huge gashes were bleeding slightly from his scalp. Draco felt for a pulse and found one. It was weak but still very much there.

"Hermione come on. We need to get him to the Infirmary." Draco lifted Harry's body up with a simple spell and began walking down the steps.

Hermione rushed to his side. "No, Draco we can't they will ask questions and I can't lie to them. I will tell them and they won't believe me, no one would believe Harry Potter to be an abusive bastard." She laughed slightly at this but the laughter did not reach her eyes.

"Alright. We will leave him some where visible and make sure that someone will find him. Ok?" Hermione nodded her head as the plan quickly formed. They were going to leave him on the bottom of the stairs took the students down to the Great Hall. And in the morning they would have to be ready for the questions and prying of Headmaster Dumbledore.

So the two of them carefully headed down the stairs and through the hallways, it was still relatively early but most of the students were in their common rooms by now. They checked around corners and down long hallways, but saw no one. Hermione had walked backwards the entire time making sure no one was going to come up behind them but also to make sure that no blood had been dripping from the unmoving body floating along the corridors.

The trip had taken no more then ten minutes. Draco and Hermione laid Harry down on the bottom of the steps and ran for their lives.

The morning came all too fast. Hermione's hands were fixed. The blood in the Astronomy Tower and on her robes was far gone, with no way for them to be detected. But with the morning came the discovery which none of them wanted to deal with right now.

They made sure that they would be last to be in the Great Hall, taking their time. When they reached the Hall and sat down in their seats, Hermione feigned curiosity over where Harry was. But the announcement was soon to be made.

"Students were have some news that must be made start away." Dumbledore stood up and the kids in the Hall immediately quieted down. "Last night there was an attack here at Hogwarts. A student was beaten very badly and left outside the Great Hall." Questions buzzed about who it could be, but no one had the right answer. "Tonight, you are all to go from your final classes straight to your common rooms." This caused uproar. "Now, I know this is a Friday, but it is for your own safety. Now, eat your meals and don't be late for class."

The Hall was humming with talk and gossip about who it could be. But Hermione was humming for joy. They had not called her out of the crowd and blamed her for the attack and sent her off to Azkaban. She was still there alive and in the eyes of the people innocent as could be.

This was soon to change though, as she was called out of her first hour class by Dumbledore, himself. The note was received and her eyes went wide at the announcement. Hermione walked from the room, up and down the hallway until she reached the Gargoyle that hid the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office.

She knocked softly on the door and heard an "Enter". She was scared out of her mind and was even more terrified when she saw Draco sitting in a chair also. "Now, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, you are aware of the attack last night, yes?" They both nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, the victim of this attack was Mr. Potter." The Headmaster paused to let the news sink in and Hermione started shaking out of fear. 'They found me out; I will never see the light of day again.' She thought as Draco tried to console her as best he could. "Now, Miss. Granger I know this comes as a terrible shock to you, but I need to ask you a few questions about last night. Alright?"

Hermione nodded her head and awaited the interrogation. "Did you see anything last night on your rounds?"

"No, Headmaster, not a thing."

"Did you speak with Mr. Potter last night after you left the Great Hall last night? Did he find you anytime last night?"

Hermione fidgeted a bit but still shook her head. "No, Headmaster I was up in the Astronomy Tower by myself. I was there until about midnight."

"Alright, thank you very much. Harry has not awakened yet but you will be called out of class the minute he does." Dumbledore shook his head in sorrow. He also had the feeling of a headache coming on.

As the questioning was going on, he had looked in her mind to see if she was telling the truth. Image after image was shoved in his mind as if she didn't want them. The blood everywhere, the pain she had caused and received, and the plan and cleaning that had taken place afterwards.

He in turn questioned Draco the same but couldn't get past the block in Draco's mind.

"Thank you so much. And tonight you two will need to patrol together. I don't want either of you hurt and there will be less of a chance if you are together. Now go back to your classes and please try to have a good day." The two of them stood and walked out of the room in a haze. Neither of them had been found out and they were jumping around in joy.

They decided that this called for celebration. The rest of their classes for that day would be missed and they would do what they wanted.

Draco and Hermione were walking around the back side of the lake, taking in the scenery.

"Hermione, you're Ok, right?" Draco took her hand.

Hermione looked over at her friend, squeezed his hand, and smiled. "Yes, I'm just fine. I will be better when this is over. But for now, I'm just fine."

But this peace didn't last long as Hermione dropped to the ground unexpectedly. "Hermione? Hermione, can you hear me? What happened?" Draco cried out to her bent down on his knees to try and wake her up.

But a cry of "Stupefy" came out of somewhere and Draco too dropped to the ground and into unconsciousness.

Hermione woke up with her head pounded and her eyes not yet adjusted to the darkness that surrounded her. She tried to move her arms and legs but found them tied down with thick rope.

As she looked around a figure was seen moving around in the darkness. Hermione let her fear take over and tried to rip of the binds. But she had no such luck. The pain shot through her as she cried out. The figure was becoming clearer.

The imposing black figure glided over to her. Who was it, Voldemort, one of his lackeys? The figure, which she had decided was a man, became clearer. It was now only just barely fuzzy.

"Ah, Hermione, my love, I see you are awake. If you hadn't awakened in a few minutes I was going to have to revive you myself." The man was now standing in front of her. He was as clear as day.

"Oh, God." The sentence came out in a whisper. Hermione again pulled at the ropes that were wrapped around her wrists.

"No, Hermione, God cannot help you now." He laughed as his glasses glinted in the candle light. His emerald eyes shown with fury and the black hair, still as messy as ever, covered up the most famous scar in the world.

"No, my dear, nothing can help you now." Harry laughed as Hermione still struggled.

**A/N: Ah my longest chapter yet. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can't really remember but I think this is my first big cliffy. How exciting for me.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews of my last chapter, and I hope you review lots with this chapter too. I need the feedback on how I did on my first attack scene. **

**So review and watch the Super Bowl tonight. I hate the Patriots so GO EAGLES! Have fun tonight BYE!**


	16. That led me straight to you

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 16: That led me straight to you

* * *

The night had come, and the weather had grown colder. The wind rustled a few leaves as a weary Draco lifted his head from the ground.

His first thoughts were how did he get out here and why in the bloody hell did he have such a bad headache. But soon the pain, the plan, and the strange 'Stupefy' came back to him in an instant. Looking around he found no Hermione and knew exactly what had happened to them both.

"Oh gods, Hermione." Ignoring the pain, Draco rushed to his feet, flew to the entrance of Hogwarts, and down to the dungeons to find his uncle.

He ran into the room, and unlocked the door to Severus's private rooms. "Uncle, uncle?" The call soon found its listener as he saw his Uncle sleeping in a chair.

"Uncle, please wake up." The plea woke up the man, who immediately reached for his wand, but loosened his grip when he noticed his nephew.

"What is it, Draco?" Severus had said that a lot harsher then he had intended to. He caught his breath a bit after waking from just another nightmare.

"Please, it's Hermione, she is gone." Draco paced before the fireplace.

"And why do I care, I am no longer the one in her life." The bitterness apparent in his voice.

Draco heard this and came right up to his Uncle, almost nose to nose. "If you really believe that, then you are a greater fool then I have ever believed."

Severus sighed, knowing he could not let Draco leave in this state. "Ok, what is it? Where is Miss. Granger?" But Draco just went back to pacing trying to decide the best way to tell this story. "And, Draco, if you do not stop pacing, Miss. Granger or not, I will throw you out of here faster then you could imagine."

Draco glared at his uncle, but quickly sat down on the couch. "Ok, see when she ran from the Great Hall yesterday…" Severus nodded his head remembering the evil look in her eyes. "She went up to the Astronomy Tower and waited for Harry to follow. I did too of course, wanting no harm to come to her, but she really did not need any protection." A bitter laugh came up as Draco recalled how Harry had looked afterwards. "I don't know exactly what happened, but about an hour and a half after I went to search for her, I found her up in the Tower her hair blowing in the wind and blood streaked across her face mixing with her tears." Severus could not even imagine Hermione like that. All he thought was her hair careless and free, her smile lighting up the room and…

"Hey, are you going to pay attention to me or not because I know that you are worried for her. So if you wish to help her then listen to me." Draco looked at his uncle impatiently and saw the look of worry in his uncle's eyes.

"Please Draco continue." A hand waved Draco on still. The story came out again and he tried to think of where Harry may have taken Hermione. After Draco finished he flopped down in the chair and regained himself.

"And you think Miss. Granger is where and with whom?" Severus broke the uneasy silence as he started up the pacing over by his desk, where he could better think.

"Come on, Uncle, a spurred lover is not lying where he was earlier today. Then both I and Hermione where knocked out with one powerful spell. Of course, she is with Harry. How could I have not known that he would seek revenge?" He knew that the blame should be squarely set upon his shoulders. Draco sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck.

At the mention of Harry, Severus stopped his pacing and his thoughts slammed to a complete halt. His words came out at a very strict and harsh whisper, forcing Draco to lean forward quite a bit out of his chair. "Draco, you will start from the beginning. You will tell me everything you know, and everything she told you. I want nothing left out or the consequences will be immense."

And so once again Hermione's story was told to another person. Severus kept his back to his nephew the whole time and couldn't help but smile at the memories that flooded back to him. The 'incident' came and the smile was ripped off his face. Then her trip to that dreaded house. Soon though the dark turn to the story came and Severus couldn't even contain his anger when Hermione had told Draco how Harry had beat her and how she defended him still.

"Uncle, we need to find her soon, or I fear she will not be alive if we find her."

"When, Draco, when her find her. I know where that little fool has gone, the only place in the school where he alone could get." Draco eyes flashed as the knowledge of the hiding place came up. He and his uncle nodded heads and dashed off from the dark dungeons off to find Ginny Weasley.

* * *

Harry's cold laughter echoed throughout the caves under Hogwarts.

"My dear, dear Hermione, did you really think that you could get away that easily from me." Harry walked up to her his eyes glinting more maliciously with every passed step.

"Harry, please this isn't you, this isn't you." Hermione tried to get through to the old Harry that was there, but his eyes just went blank at her pleas.

"Isn't me? ISN'T ME?" His screams made Hermione flinch just a bit. "Oh, my love, those words do have a sentimental value to them, don't they. Yes, I do believe those are the words I used when you were beating me to a BLOODY PULP just a yesterday." A dangerous grin crossed his lips. "Oh how time does change things." He clapped his hands together viciously.

Hermione's face went white. 'Oh, god what is he going to do to me. Please Severus, find me soon!' She once again struggled against her restraints but Harry again laughed at her failing attempts.

"There is no way of getting out." He walked around the cave slowly extinguishing a few candles. Then almost reading her thoughts from just moments before he turned and shouting back at her. "And don't you worry, my love, there is no way that your precious Severus could get down here to us."

"How…how do you know about him?" Her voice quavered with trepidation.

"Please Hermione; do you really think me stupid? It was so obvious. Making eyes at him whenever he was in the Great Hall, calling his name in your sleep, asking for his protection when a nightmare would plague you." He stalked up to her closely, but with only a few candles lit in the huge cave, Hermione could barely tell were he was. His voice though gave him away.

"It is disgusting. You were always the one I could see myself with. But you just had to fall for that old bat, didn't you?" The look in Harry's eyes changed from loathing to pure revulsion. "Did you drug him Hermione? Cast a love spell on him when you realized that he could never love you? Please, Hermione, no one will ever love you but me!" Harry rashly pointed to himself and swung around so that he was on the left side of her face. "I am the one who will stay with you forever, even if you can not always remember your place." He quickly slapped her face which snapped her neck to the side hitting the hard wood where she was strapped.

"I did not drug him you, filthy fop! He can to me with open arms. Telling me how beautiful I am and how he would always be with me." Harry's breathing became heavy as Hermione spoke so harshly and with such distain. "You will never be half the man he is. You will hardly ever be a man."

"Stop it!" Harry whispered out as he clutched his ears, trying in vain not to hear her insults.

"Beating a woman, causing her to live in fear, just so you could force her to love you?" Hermione saw the effect she was having on him and hoped to the gods that this would buy more time.

"I said, stop it, now!" Harry was getting angrier and was beating his fists against the hard stone.

"You, Harry Potter, do make me sick. You are not a man!" This was spat at him as his fists became bloody and the stone fell off in little pieces.

"I am not a man? Not a man?" He ran to her and his seething hatred towards her was shouting in her face. "I, my dear, will show you who is a man!"

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she heard the rustle of clothing. She couldn't really make out what happened next but all she knew was that Harry was soon on top of her. He was viciously beating her, making her weak with the pain.

"This could have happened so much easier. We could have done this a long time ago, with so much love. But you had to ruin that. You and your damned love!" Harry ripped off Hermione's robes and began to shred the rest of her clothes.

* * *

"Damned boy, move faster or we will not make it." Snape was shouting back at Draco as they ran to the Gryffindor common room. Finally they reached the secret door and Draco was sent in to find Ginny.

"Ginny?" Draco called out and garnered a lot of odd looks from the rest of the house. Many frightened that he was in their common room but most were just mad. "Ginny, please come out we need your help!" Draco shouted once more and found Ginny rushing down the stairs.

"What, is it? What happened?" Ginny frantically tried to get an answer out of the flushed boy.

"There is no time, we need to go. Hermione is in trouble and you are the only one that can help us." Ginny's eyes grew wide and nodded her head.

The two of them rushed out of the door and with Professor Snape in the lead, ran down to the Girl's Bathroom, Moaning Myrtle's to be exact.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long and then when I do it's so short. **

**I have had such a writer's block with this story and then I got an idea for a one-shot so now that it's out I'm really hoping that I can get on with this story and think up new ideas. **

**Please if you have anything to contribute email me or tell me in a review, I have the worst case of writer's block that I just want to die.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter.**

**And a huge thanks to my Beta, bloomgirl247, who really helped me with my one-shot. So read it and review you'll like it. **

**I promise the next chapter will not take as long to get out and will be longer. BYE!**


	17. Secrets, Indeed

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 17: Secrets, Indeed

* * *

The passageway down into the bowels of the school was hastily opened and all three of them jumped down one right after the other. No obstacle was met as the group, headed by the very determined Snape, ran almost light speed down the twisting and turning corridors.

Finally they reached the entrance to the cave were Hermione was being held hostage by her former lover and best friend.

* * *

Hermione was shaking on the table, desperate to escape before it could happen. "Please, Harry no. Please…"

Her words were brushed off by Harry who just kept ripping away at their clothes. "Oh my dear, you have no idea how much I will sincerely enjoy this."

His cold and distant smile was on his face as he plunged himself deeply inside of her. Hermione felt the pain shoot through her body and she cried out in pain.

Her cry was just rewarded was a smack to the face and Harry's finger at her lips, signaling her to be quite. Nursing the pain on her face helped her try to ignore the pain in her nether regions. It was like a knife was being plunged in and out.

Harry feeling the heat inside of Hermione just pushed forward. He would pull out a bit and then slam down again, reveling in the cries that this elicited in her. "Oh, Hermione, see how wonderful this could have been. Can't you just feel it?" He laughed once more and felt his balls tighten as his climax was coming.

* * *

All three of them were stuck on the ground as they surveyed the scene in front of them, listened to the words that were spoken. It was Harry's final laughter that broke Ron out of his daze. Pointing his wand at the moving figure, a red blast shot across the room and Harry was blown off of Hermione and into the opposite wall.

Severus saw the blast and ran over to the shaking and shivering Hermione.

"Oh, Severus, you made it. I knew you would. I knew you would." She faded out into unconsciousness. Severus took of his outer robes and delicately draped them over her naked figure not wanting any else to see it.

Ron after realizing what he had done ran to his friend. "Harry, Harry, can you hear me?" Ron sat Harry up and tried to revive him.

Harry felt the blast from behind him and felt himself fly off of Hermione and smash into the hard stone wall. Blood was coming out of his mouth and his head was cracked open. Tears formed in his eyes as Ron ran over to him. He moaned and felt his mind clear and the pain of everything rushed back at him. Hard.

A yell of pain came out of him and he moaned loudly as Ron pushed him into a seated position. He opened his eyes grateful for the dim lights. "Ron," A meek voice called out. "What is going on? Why am I down here again?" He too passed out and faded into the comfort of nothingness.

"Professor, we need to get both of them to the Infirmary, fast. Harry is fading." Ron levitated his friend and found his sister, Ginny, at his side.

"Ron? What happened?" She inquired the question already knowing the answer. Rushing to catch up with him as he carried Harry away she put a hand on his arm.

Ron heard the question and felt the soft hand on his arm. He looked and saw his sister, sweat soaked and breathing hard. "I will tell you later, Gin, alright?" He smiled as reassuringly as possible and followed as Snape led them out of the Chamber of Secrets.

Secrets, indeed.

All of them journeyed upwards as each had a mind reeling with questions.

But as they reached the surface and climbed back into the bathroom, they forgot what they wanted to know and quickly took the unmoving bodies to the Infirmary.

* * *

**(Dream Sequence Ahead)

* * *

**

"No, please, don't!" Hermione screamed out.

The mask had been cleanly ripped away from his beautiful face to show the entire world the demon-like deformities that were hidden underneath. The crowds gasped and screamed as they finally knew who the angel's voice belonged to. Shots were fired from down below from well-training police and that's when Hermione screamed.

The two, after not even a second's delay, fell down into the secret passageway under the stage. Her love pulled her to him and led her gently by the arm so they could move as fast as possible.

Shouts could still be heard from a far off distance from above them. He walked gracefully on to the boat and held out a hand to make sure she would come on carefully also. With cat-like movements he picked up the giant pole and pushed them both across the frigid waters of the lake.

Upon reaching shore, he frantically searched around and gathered a few things that they would need. "Hermione, my dear, we must leave now!" Severus fiercely whispered at her, his deformed side, as always, turned away from her eyes.

"What and leave so soon?" A drawling voice called out from a darkened corner. Harry lifted his head and pushed off of the wall he had been leaning on. An evil smile formed on his face as he surveyed the two lovers. "You will miss all of the fun."

"Harry…" Hermione gasped out, seeing the man who had once captured her heard when she was younger. Oh, how he had changed. His black hair was lank and wet with sweat and his emerald eyes glinted with hatred and danger. He had often talked of their marriage and of the light they would always live in when they could leave this place. But now he looked so much the devil that he was vainly trying to save Hermione from.

"Oh, my darling, Hermione." He smiled and took a few steps forward. "I could have given you everything, taken you away from this monster and his terrible world of darkness." Harry's voice rang clear and loud throughout the underground house.

During his little speech, Severus had slowly inched Hermione to the safety of behind him. "Get out of here now, if you wish to see the light again." He growled out, his eyes glowing with anger and the almost want and need for the blood of the man on his hands.

Harry just laughed at his words. "Hermione, how sweet, your lover protecting you." Harry cooed out as he advanced more on the couple. "But I fear that his protection is all for naught. You will come with me, whether you wish it or not." He spat this out at them.

"You monster!" Hermione screeched out as she peeked her head from behind the back of her lover. The tears she fought to hold back flooded down her cheeks as her face flushed with anger. "Leave us, this instant! I do not love you nor could I ever love you. You are as vile as the Demon himself. Turn your face from mine and let me never see it again." Her face scrunched up in anger as her lips curled in a sneer.

Harry laughed bitterly and strolled very casually to the two of them. "You, my darling, really don't have a choice in that matter. I will take you from here and we will get married. Your life will be with me."

He turned his back to them, not caring how much danger he was putting himself. Oh, he had heard stories of the Ghost. Men foolhardy enough to venture out at night were found in the morning a noose about their necks and a look of terrible shock to their faces.

A second later the man spun around, but this was not Harry.

His green eyes turned a dark blood red, and his black, messy hair had more then disappeared from his head.

"YOU WILL BE MINE!" This new creature screamed out as Severus and she ran to the safety of the night.

* * *

**(End of Dream Sequence)

* * *

**

Hermione bolted up in the stiff white bed, gasping for breath. With the dream still fresh in her mind, she looked around the room searching for the creature that Harry had become.

"Oh, gods…" Hermione whispered out, wringing the top of the sheet. She wiped sweat from her forehead and flung off the covers. The cold hit her bare legs and arms with wonder, as she gasped thanking the gods for relief from the heat. Hermione though noticed a moving in the chair next to her.

There he was, sitting there so still. Severus was reclining in the chair, sighing deeply. His hair was shielding most of his face. Hermione thought he looked so peaceful then he was during the day, and with that constant scowl on his face he looked at least ten years younger. Knowing he was sitting there right next to her, Hermione put the covers back over her and fell back asleep with a slight smile on her features.

* * *

Harry had not slept much that night. True, he had collapsed in the Chamber but had woken up not three hours after that. He could not get his mind around what had happened. No one had told him, because the only one who knew the truth was asleep, and would not be wakened.

When he could take no more of just laying there, he got out of bed, around two in the morning, and carefully side-stepped the sleeping Professor. Hermione looked so angelic and innocent. Her cheeks were white and pale, but this just brought out her dark lashes and rich brown hair.

He glided a hand over her cheek, but made sure not to wake her. In her sleep, she moaned and whispered out an unintelligible mumble, and turned on her side. Something had happened between the two of them, he was sure of it, but he wasn't sure if it had been good or not. A creeping suspicion told him that it most definitely was not.

He silently walked back over to his bed, and laid down in a huff. He didn't understand the last thing he could remember was sending the letter to Hermione at midnight, being cheered on by Sirius and Remus. Harry was sure that she had come but could not remember what occurred in these past months.

Soon though, the light outside was slowly coming and the sky was turning pink and light blue. Sounds of Madame Pomfrey bustling about making sure her stock was ready made him close his eyes and appear to be in a deep sleep.

* * *

Why had this happened to her? He had only wanted to protect her, to make sure that she was safe from harm and happy. But, of course, the one good thing he had wanted in most of his life had gone completely wrong. That boy, Potter, had abused her and raped her and beat her within an inch of her life. Nothing could ever go right in his life, not since her.

He dreamt about their summer together, her in her "underwear" by the pool, their kiss, and everything that occurred after that.

What had happened to her?

But now was not the time to dwell on these questions that would be for later today. He heard faint sounds of movement as the occupants of the castle slowly woke up. Severus stood up and shakily made his way down to the dungeons to retrieve and few potions that he was sure would be needed.

* * *

"Vermin, you filthy piece of garbage!" His voice cutting through the air like a bullet. "I gave a task of the utmost importance, yet once again you fail me."

The loyal servant was cowering on the ground. "Please, master. I tried, and I had succeeded until now. I deeply apologize that I could not hold his mind in my hands longer." He had crawled up to his fuming Lord and kissed the hems of his robes.

"That is true, but you are NOT TO TALK BACK TO ME!" The red hair ducked down even lower and shook. "Weasley, I will give you one more chance. If you fail me again, I will not be as generous as I will be this time."

Percy crawled back from Lord Voldemort. "Thank you, Master. You are ever so kind and I will not fail you again."

"No, I don't suppose you will, will you." Voldemort cackled as his loud booming voice. "CRUCIO!"

Percy fell to the ground and writhed in pain.

* * *

**A/N: YES YES YES! My writer's block is gone and I am so happy. It just dissolved as I was reading this chapter. So WHEEE!**

**Hope this isn't too bad, it took me so long to get this out, sorry about that but next chapter will come out sooner.**

**Wish me luck on my play, its performing this weekend and hopefully I will ask out this guy too, so yay! Wish me luck and review!**

**Luv all you guys! BYE**


	18. The Bold Win

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 18: The Bold Win

* * *

"So glad to see that you are finally awake, Miss Granger." Hermione heard that far too chipper voice from behind her closed eyes.

The Headmaster came into view as she slowly opened her eyes; she blinked a few times to get her eyes used to the very bright light of the Infirmary. "Ah, there we go! So how are you feeling, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore sat down in the chair that had been filled with a sleeping Professor just the night before. Hermione, though, looked past him to the next bed.

"No, Mr. Potter is no longer here. He awoke a few hours ago and thought it best that he not be here when you woke up." He said when he noticed her eyes flicker past him and felt the slight fear coming off of her.

"Oh, ok." Hermione looked down and played with her fingernails. "What is going to happen to Harry?" She may have hated what he had become but she still remembered years past and how they were best friends.

"Well, see this is the tricky part. It seems that he was not himself during your duration as a couple." The Headmaster's face did not flinch one bit, but he held on to those cheerful eyes and concerned smile.

Hermione's head shot up to look into Dumbledore's eyes. "What are you are saying? That he was under," she looked around at the empty room to see if anyone could possibly be listening. "the Imperius Curse?" She whispered leaning in closer.

He took one of her hands in his. "Take it how you will, but just know that he was not control of his actions from the time you showed up at Grimmauld Place this summer until last night." Slowly he patted Hermione on the head and smiled warmly before standing and walking out with a slight bounce that he always seemed to have to his step.

'Gods, I really do hate it when he does that. But I know he's right, that wasn't Harry.' Hermione thought to herself as she felt her stomach growl.

Just a second later a tray of breakfast food appeared on her bedside table. She slowly began to munch on a blueberry crepe as her mind tried to reconnect with what had happened last night.

It flashed before her eyes, the entire night. She, thankfully, allowed herself to skip over most of the shudder rape. She had just about given up figuring out really how she got out of there, when her mind stumbled upon something she remembered, but never really forgot.

"He saved me!" She stated out to the empty hospital ward. "He came for me and he saved me!" Hermione all but jumped out of bed to run down to the Dungeons if it weren't for a terrible wave of nausea that took over when she tried to stand up.

At that moment as she was falling backwards onto the bed, Ron picked the perfect moment to come in and check up on his best friend.

* * *

A knock came to the door of the Headmaster's office. Albus Dumbledore knew exactly who it was but hadn't been expecting them for another…seven and a half more minutes. But who was he to deny away needy students.

"Come in, Mr. Potter, I have been expecting you." He called out through the heavy wooden door.

Harry had heard the Headmaster call him in, man he hated when that happened and felt his body shake with fear. 'OK, Harry just do it and get it over with.' Eventually Harry's Gryffindor courage won and he swung open the door.

"Um…Headmaster, I would really like to discuss with you what happened and what my punishment will be." His voice came out trembling as his mind went through all of the different scenarios of what will happen to him.

Dumbledore's bright eyes shone when Harry came in. But after hearing what he had to say his eyes lost just a slight amount of twinkle and he was preparing himself to do what this boy needed to be done. "Mr. Potter, you will not and can not be punished for something that was not your fault."

To this Harry's eyes widened behind his think, oval glasses. "But, what to you mean? I kidnapped, beat, tortured, and raped another student! I should be sent to Azkaban!" His voice was thick with emotion. The words 'kidnapped', 'beat', 'tortured', and 'raped', bounced terribly off the walls of the Headmaster's office and many of the former Headmasters and Headmistresses poked their heads back into their frames to try and figure out what was going on.

"Mr. Potter, after hearing the details of last night and of the past few months I have come to the conclusion that something was definitely not right." Harry just shook his head a little and strongly resisted the strong urge to say a huge "duh!"

"So, I began to shuffle through your memories, if you will pardon my intrusion. I was taken back finally to the cause of all of this."

Harry held his breath and waited for the Headmaster to continue. "And, what did you find?"

* * *

"Well, well, well, I see that Hermione Granger has finally decided to show her face to the world again." Upon hearing the familiar voice, Hermione looked up.

She saw Ron, with his back against the entry door, arms crossed on his chest, and a great cocky smirk upon his face.

"Ronald, you get over here this instant!" Hermione shouted across the room, laughing.

He surely didn't need to be told twice. Ron ran to her bed and gave her a big hug.

"Oh, 'Mione. How have you been? Do you feel OK?" He gently let go of her and stroked her matted hair.

Leaning into his comfortable shoulder, Hermione sighed deeply. "I am just fine, just a bit bored. I want to get out of here and get my books. I miss them already."

Ron laughed and smacked her on the arm. "Our same Hermione."

The two stayed together, talking of safe topics until that one topic could not be avoided any longer.

"Ron?" He looked up at her. "What happened?" He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I don't really know. All I know is that we walked in, he was on top of you, and I blasted him off. What was weird though was that he doesn't seem to remember any of it." He took in a deep breath and look over at the windows. "I talked to him this morning, and he really has no idea what happened. The Headmaster is checking into it. So no worries, it will be fixed soon."

They went back to comfortable topics, until Ron left to go to lunch, promising to come back later that night.

Hermione was left to eat with a Fourth year, who had gotten himself badly burned in a pick up game of Exploding Snap.

After lunch, while she was literally dying of boredom, she was brought a couple of her school books, by Dobby, who was just happy to see her. She joyfully read up on her next lessons. She was interrupted every once in a while by Madame Pomfrey checking up on her, but for the most part she was left to her own devices.

More friends came later with Ron and they spent dinner with her, talking of their day. Hermione could be seen just relaxing on the head board listening to the conversations of others. She had really missed all of this.

* * *

"Weasley, go back to the library, I request your presence." Voldemort shouted out to his crowd of Death Eaters.

Percy obediently took off from the meeting and went into the old house. The front door from the outside was broken in, scratched, and chipped. But once he squeaked open the door, candles lit up the foyer and the pungent smell of burning and melting wax infiltrated his nostrils. No paintings adorned the dark green walls, and the fireplace was blocked off and sealed off to prevent any unwanted visitors.

Knowing where the library was, Percy stepped up the creaky, rickety stairs. He ran his hand across the banister, which was covered with a thick layer of dust. Reaching the top of the stairs, Percy had that feeling of terror wash over him like ever time he was to meet with the Dark Lord.

He finally got to the library door and entered it, looking around to make sure that no one else was in there. The room was large and grandly furnished. It was dark, though, and only housed a few candles to light it up. Polished wood gleamed in the moonlight and shelves creaked under the heavy burden of their load.

After waiting a good ten minutes he heard foot steps outside the door. Bracing himself, Percy positioned himself by the fire ready to fall to his knees and scramble over the floor to kiss his Lord's robes, if he so wished it.

The door opened flamboyantly and in glided in his Dark Lord.

"Percy, you have failed on the last mission I set out for you." His voice was soft and menacing.

"And I shall never forgive myself, my Lord." Percy bowed deeply.

Voldemort smiled as well as he could. "Of course you won't. That is why I have another task for you to accomplish. But if you prove to be a failure again… you are very dispensable."

Percy once again bowed deeply and shook a bit with the fear of death. "I will do anything that you ask, my Lord."

"Yes, you will." A sharp cackle cut through the air and Percy, still bowed on reverence, trembled in fear.

* * *

Night had finally come to Hogwarts, and those not wish to be seen prowled the corridors silently. A shadow came up the stairs only to stop at the first door on the left. He looked into the wards and smiled a sad smile, but a smile none the less.

He walked up to her bedside and caressed the side of her cheek pushing away a few ringlets. "My dear, my love." He whispered quietly, but the sleeping form had heard it and woke up.

Hermione had heard the words spoken but did not open her eyes, in fear that it may be Harry. The chair next to her bed squeaked in protest from being sat in but remained standing.

"My love, how I missed you this day, how I missed your presence after what happened." The male voice struck her with such a force that she could not keep her eyes closed any longer.

Hermione's eyes flung open and she looked at the man next to her. "Oh Severus." She gasped out breathily.

Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder. Her senses were overwhelmed with him, her nostrils inhaling his lusty scent. "I have missed you more then you can imagine." She whispered into his warm, rapidly moving chest.

When arms flew to his neck and his name was spoken, Severus hardly knew what to do. But when he registered that this was Hermione and heard her words, he tentatively placed arms around her waist.

"Hermione, my dear, I have longed for this moment for so many years. Please say you will never leave me again." His calloused, hurt side roared up at this and screamed at him to push her away and that only pain will come from her. But the tiniest side that still felt love latched onto her words and held them as if her would disappear any second and leave him in the dark, alone again.

Her head shock in his chest. "Never, never. I love you so much." Her voice was quiet but was filled with more longing then she thought it was capable of.

Severus pried her from his chest and looked her directly in the eyes. "Promise to me that you will not leave me." Her eyes grew. "Promise me that you love me." She smiled a bit. "And promise me that you will let me love you for all of time."

Not waiting one second longer, Hermione nodded her heard fiercely. "I promise." She kissed his right cheek. "I promise." She kissed his left. "And I promise you. I promise you anything you wish if only to make you happy." She kissed his lips.

The feeling of her lips on his again was almost more then Severus could bear. A charge jolted through him and he pulled her to him, hard. He gripped her shoulders dragging her to his lap.

Hermione yelped a bit at his harshness but just smiled into the kiss. Her body was on fire from his touches. She positioned herself more comfortable on her lap and kissed him back just as hard.

Soon the kisses grew softer, more loving, and gentler. "Hermione, I love you." His words were carried to her and she leaned her forehead against his.

Hermione smiled and stood up. She noticed his panicked look, but held out her hand. When he finally took it, she led him to her bed where they fell in together. Sleep came quickly and the night air was calm and still. Even the creatures that should be waking up where quieter then normal, they felt what had happened.

* * *

**A/N: I love you guys more then anything in the world. Over 100 reviews! When I found this out I was hyperventilating, I could not believe. So thank you so much and review lots more to make me even happier. I know that Snape seems a bit OC but bear with me we will get back to the snarky Professor we all know and love!**

**See I told you that I would get this out faster, and I think it's even longer. **

**And here is something that I never do, but felt the need tonight, review replies:**

**Breanna Senese: I know she did but I kind of took it that what would I do if my best friend for 6 years was doing that to me.**

**Brokentoy19: Thank you for that. We are doing a play called 10X10 it's like a spin off the Ten Commandments, I know kind of weird but we are a Catholic School so we had to. But it was awesome because the guy I finally asked out was in the scene before me, YAY! It did fucking suck, but it's gone and I'm happy. **

**duj: Yeah, your right, I read over that chapter and I needed to at least put a warning but it had been so long since my last update that I didn't even give myself a chance to beta it. So sorry and next time, if there is one, I will be much more careful.**

**Bozo: Yeah it was on purpose. I was singing PONR, and it seemed to fit.**

**Happy St. Patrick's Day! BYE**


	19. It's Killing Me and Taking Control!

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 19: It's Killing Me and Taking Control!

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"Nothing." The answer danced across the room and hit Harry like a hard slap on the face.

He gaped and blinked a few times in confusion. "What do you mean, you didn't find anything?" Harry shouted.

The Headmaster raised his hand to basically shut Harry up. "Mr. Potter, please calm yourself. What I was going to say was that I did not find anything when I looked the first time." Dumbledore replied reassuringly.

Harry smiled sheepishly and lowered his head a bit. "Sorry, Headmaster."

"It is alright, my boy. When I went back the second time, I noticed something around the time when you first arrived at the Weasley's." The Headmaster stood and strode over to Fawkes, who eyed him very warily.

Fawkes saw the Headmaster come over, and noticed a difference. His energy wasn't the same and he didn't smell like lemons. Fawkes fluffed up his feathers and glared at the man screeching quietly as he was being stroked.

Harry didn't notice Fawkes odd behavior but Dumbledore did.

"There was a point when you where taking a nap on the couch at the Weasley's house, yes?" Harry nodded. "Well, in that time span, there was a point where everything just kind of blinked for a less then a second. Time blinked and then returned to normal."

Harry shook his head. "I don't understand what you mean Headmaster. What happened? Was I obliviated then?"

"That is what I suspect." The Headmaster wiped a hand across the wet window sill. "I dug a little deeper and found that well hidden memory." Rain had begun to pour a while before and was now coming in through open windows. A storm could be seen rolling its way towards the castle, dark clouds getting closer and closer.

The Headmaster went into his long explanation. It seemed that Percy, with a stolen Time Turner, took Harry just about five minutes into the past. Harry was awakened by the travel and fought Percy as long as he could. But the fight was all for naught as Percy had taken Harry's wand before he had woken up.

Percy struck Harry was a Petrificus Totalis and cast an Imperio on him. Harry was to act normal, be normal, except he was to take full control of Hermione, make her his in every sense of the word. He was to keep her under his influence until the next time they were to meet. But most importantly he was to not think that anything was wrong, that this was all normal and that Hermione was nothing more then a woman to be controlled.

Upon hearing this, Harry stood up quickly, knocking his chair back. "No, no! This is not possible! I would never have been under that curse for so long. Something else must have happened." Harry paced in front of the fireplace running his hands throughout his messy black hair.

The Headmaster just laughed a bit under his breath. "Yes, Harry. It is possible, and that is what happened. You must understand that even you have weaknesses. You are not as powerful as you believe yourself to be."

"What are you saying?" Harry glanced up to the Headmaster. "I am the Boy That Lived! I am supposed to be the one that saves the Wizarding World. I am powerful!" Harry was screaming in frustration but also in terror.

"Oh no, Harry, you will not save the Wizarding World." The Headmaster's face contorted and his voice deepened.

"You, Harry Potter." The new being spat out, "Will do nothing but DIE!" Lord Voldemort's face came through the glamour.

Harry began breathing heavily as he reached for his wand. Though he was a bit too late. An "accio" came from across the room, as Harry's wand flew from his pocket.

Lord Voldemort laughed his wicked laugh. "Looking for this?" With that Harry tried to run for help but was knocked out by a fast swish of his own wand. Harry fell to the ground with a sharp crack.

"This shall be fun." A cackle echoed through the room as the two disapperated from the castle.

* * *

**Now, wait you say! How did this all happen? Well my wonderful readers that is what flashbacks are for!**

**(Flashback)

* * *

**

"Weasley, your task, which I have so graciously appointed to you, is a most important one."

Percy still bowed did not say a word.

"You are to infiltrate Hogwarts and kidnap Albus Dumbledore. You are to bring him back here and chain him in the dungeons." The instructions were said clear and almost in a bored tone, as if Percy was just running for potions ingredients.

Percy flinched at what he was supposed to do. "But, my Lord, in all due respect, how am I to do this? Hogwarts is the most well guarded place in the world. No one not meant to get in there can get in there." Percy was still bowed but was using his hands to express his nervousness more clearly. "And there are so many students, professors, and ghosts, how am I to get past them with an unconscious Headmaster floating behind me?" Noticing the very insolent tone of his voice, Percy lowered himself to the floor and prostrated himself even lower.

"Did you not think I would have thought of this?" Lord Voldemort screamed at the young boy. "I know how to take care of this. I shall lower those non-appiration wards for a period of ten minutes." Percy nodded. "You are to find Dumbledore, knock him out, and bring him back here. If you are caught or cannot get out in time, that will be your own fault. You will rot in Azkaban with no hope of escape, for I will not rescue a Death Eater that has failed me twice." Voldemort gritted his teeth and screamed out the last few words. "Do you understand?"

Percy nodded as best he could. "Yes, my Lord, I understand."

Voldemort grinned and waved his hand. "Now, get out of here, and prepare yourself for your task."

Percy got up as gracefully as he could and practically ran from the room still facing the Dark Lord.

"With that old fool gone, Potter, that school, and the whole of the Wizarding World, shall be MINE!" His voice and laugh echoed eerily throughout the house.

Percy, after running from the house, had apperated himself but to his humble flat. It was not far from Hogsmead but still far enough so that no one would recognize him.

When he entered his kitchen, Percy made himself busy by getting a cup of tea ready. 'So I am to capture the most powerful wizard in all of time, take him out of the castle without being seen, and do all this in a period of less then ten minutes.' He sighed heavily trying to figure how he could do it.

Time passed quickly as Percy formulated a plan, and got up his nerve. Darkness cloaked the earth as he waited for the precise moment to come.

It was just after curfew when the real Albus Dumbledore was up in his office. He felt something change. A slight lifted of a weight but then it all seemed to go back to normal. Dumbledore looked up and shook his head. "Fawkes, I think this old man has finally gone crazy." The phoenix fluffed his feathers up but really paid no heed to the Headmaster.

The next few minutes passed with a bit of light, glory, and chaos. Percy apperated directly into the Headmaster's office, with a See Me Not charm on. Again the Headmaster looked up but saw nothing. A silencing charm was placed on the room.

Percy breathed heavily. He could not believe that this was working. His hands began to shake but he knew now was not the time to get excited. Percy hit the Headmaster with a blinding charm first and then with a charm that would knock out even the biggest of dragons.

The Headmaster heard the blinding charm but couldn't get out of the way. Then he heard the dark words being muttered and heard no more as he slumped over on his desk. Fawkes squawked horribly as he saw his friend being hit with a rapid fire of spells.

Percy laughed as he saw the old man fall unconscious on the desk. "I have done it. I can't believe that this actually worked!" He looked up at the time and saw that he only had a few seconds to get out of the castle before the non-apperation wards flew back up.

"Bloody hell!" Percy screamed out as he ran to the Headmaster grabbed his arm and got out of there as fast as he could. In the blink Percy was gone and just a blink later the wards flew back up and all was as it should be.

Percy arrived back at where the Dark Lord was staying.

He apperated into the entrance and flung the limp body into the corner. "My Lord, I have returned with a wonderful treat for you!" Percy called through out the house.

Voldemort heard the call and apperated downstairs. A large smile came upon his face as he saw the body of Albus Dumbledore crumpled in the corner.

"Weasley, you are forever indebted to this cause. Your reward shall be very great." The cold smirk left his face as his mind spun with what needed to be done. "Take him down to the dungeons. Make sure he cannot escape." With no warnings of failure the Dark Lord turned and walked up to his room.

Once again the non-apperations wards were taken down but just for a split second, as that was all that was needed to allow the Dark Lord entry to the castle. Well, not really the Dark Lord, more of a Dark Lord in Dumbledore skin.

* * *

**(End Flashback)

* * *

**

Harry couldn't believe what was happening. The Dark Lord had just emerged out of what he thought was Headmaster Dumbledore.

He grasped for his wand. But it flew away from him. Harry looked up and saw the cocky smile on Voldemort's face. Next he tried to run from the room, but was knocked out the second step he took. The last thing Harry heard was a cackle of a laugh and the rumble of thunder.

* * *

Hermione woke up. Warmth spread through her body as she felt an arm around her waist. She turned around on the bed and became face to face to the man she loved. Her smile lit up her face and it was the sight of her smile that Severus woke up to.

"My love, Hermione." He breathed out against her skin, making the hairs on her neck stand on end.

The two had slept until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and knew nothing of what was going on in the castle.

Severus kissed his love and settled himself on top of her wanting nothing more then to fall asleep once again in her arms. But of course right as he thought that a person burst into the Infirmary.

"What is going on here?" The shrill female voice called out.

"Oh bloody hell." Severus whispered out as he instantly distinguished the voice with his colleague, Minerva McGonagall

"Severus, Miss. Granger, explain yourselves at once." She only took a brief pause. "Never mind, it does not matter at the moment. What matters is that we are missing Albus and Harry Potter."

Hermione heard Harry's name and couldn't help but be worried. "What do you mean Harry is missing. He has to be somewhere in the castle."

"I am afraid not, Miss. Granger. We have used spells to try and locate them both in the confines of the castle and the grounds but neither are here." Professor McGonagall sighed and paced around the room. "It has also been noticed that two times last night the non-apperation wards were dropped. The first time for a period of about 15 minutes, the second time for only a brief moment. We have reason to believe that they were kidnapped."

Her final words hung in the air, like a dark mist. Hermione tried to think of where they could be but found no answers. Severus knew what had happened. But before he could state his theory his mark began to burn harshly.

His face cringed in pain. Hermione saw this and threw her arms around him. "No, not now, please not now."

Severus kissed the top of her head. "I am so sorry my love, but I have to go."

He quickly detangled himself from her arms and strode out of the Infirmary. Hermione sat there in disbelieve for just a moment, before tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Why does he have to ruin everything?" She whispered out.

Minerva saw the interaction between her prize student and her recluse colleague. She saw the love in Severus's eyes and saw the heartbreak in Hermione's as he left to go perform his duty for the Order.

Hermione felt the bed move as her professor sat down next to her. "My dear, I have no idea what as gone on between the two of you, and you know that I will find out soon," The look on her face told Hermione that she would find out what hadbeen going on whether she liked it or not."But you must go to him now before he leaves. Don't let this potentially be the last moment between the two of you."

Minerva saw Hermione look up and saw the red streaks of tears on her face. "Go, you must hurry if you are to catch him."

Hermione smiled a thank you to her Head of House and raced down to the Entrance Hall, to meet Severus. She saw the door close slightly as she rounded to corner. The huge door flung open without even a spell cast but Hermione didn't notice.

The rain was pouring as Severus made his way down to path to Hogsmead so he could apperate out to the meeting.

"Severus! Wait!" A voice carried in the wind. It made him turn around. He saw her running towards him.

When Hermione reached she was panting heavily, after sprinting for him. No words were needed, as the two looked deep in each other's eyes.

Hermione went to reach for his face to tell him not to go and that she loved him, but he caught her hand before it made contact.

Severus had sensed what she was going to do and knew why she was going to do it. When he caught her hand, he could see her eyes fill with tears. The moment was suspended in time as the two were interlocked with each other.

He bent down and kissed her roughly, picking her up by the arms around her waist. "I love you; know that whatever happens I love you forever." He whispered in her ear.

Hermione heard him and the tears really did fall. "I love you too, just return to me safely." She smiled at him, while her chin quivered with sadness.

They kissed once more before Severus let her go in a flash and ran for Hogsmead.

* * *

**A/N: Whee! Another chapter finished! And back to the beginning, I had no idea that this was how it was going to turn out but man, I don't think I could have thought of a better plot advance then this if I really tried.**

**Oh and I don't know how confusing the time frame is, but just to clear it up here is what I was thinking. Last chapter was the day after down in the tunnel, except part of it is for some reason two days after, just Harry and Dumbledore's part really. I am so sorry about that but nothing else really made sense. And this chapter is all two days after, except the flashback which is the night after what happened. Sorry I know how confusing this must be. **

**More review replies.**

**Alatariel: I know I changed my name but you still love me!**

**Bailey's Irish Cream: I'm glad you like it. I tried not to make it like all those other 'go back in time' stories. Thank you so much! This review made me so happy!**

**Sevslittlewitch: Sorry, in the dream Severus is Erik and Harry is Raoul. I love E/C so much so I tried for it to go off a little bit like that. And don't worry, I would never write or read R/C. **

**Emma-Lizzy-Black: Oh, you have no idea! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Tallgiraffe32: I know I hate cliffy's too, but I still think I need to put some more in here. **

**Pathatlon: To tell you the truth before I wrote this chapter I had no idea either, but it's all starting to form.**

**Review lots and make me happy! Love you guys, BYE!**


	20. The More You Suffer, The More It Shows Y...

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 20: The More You Suffer, the More It Shows You Really Care

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**A/N: And yay for anyone who noticed similarities between the very first part of the first chapter and the end of last chapter. It is the same moment, so congrats to all those who noticed.

* * *

**

Hermione watched as her love sprinted to go and perform his duty to the Order. She knew that he knew where Harry and the Headmaster were, but time would not hold still long enough for him to tell her.

She slowly walked back to the castle. As she looked up the gigantic building loomed ahead of her. The storm outside was raging, the sky had turned pitch black, and lightening streaked across it lighting up the world for a second then submerging it into darkness once again. But as Hermione looked up at her home, it was a beacon in the dark. Beautiful light shined from its windows and laughter and talking floated on the wind to her ears. She had never seen a more glorious sight then this.

"Everything will be OK. I can feel it everything will be OK." She spoke aloud to herself. Her arms went around herself as she tried to keep warm. But the wind was not cold, she noticed. Arms flew out to the sky as she looked up into the sky. Rain poured on her face, her eyes were closed and her mouth was open tasting purity.

Slowly Hermione began to journey back to her home.

Hermione entered the Infirmary once more, and found Professor McGonagall waiting on her bed.

"So he is gone then?" The older woman asked her eyes filled with a sorrow that wasn't fully understood.

"Yes, he is gone. Gone to help the Wizarding World by risking his life." Hermione sighed loudly and flopped very ungracefully on the bed she had been sleeping on. "Why does he always have to go?" Hermione asked in a child-like voice. She really had no right in asking this since she had never been with him after a meeting, never taken care of him after he had been Crucio-ed so badly he could hardly stand. But she just had too, her heart ached when he wasn't near and she was pouting so much her bottom lip looked like it grew a couple of pounds.

"He must go, deary. His life is consumed by this and it is his way of paying back the debt he made when he joined the Death Eaters in the first place." Minerva sat in the chair next to Hermione still upright and straight as a pole but somewhat more tense and uncomfortable.

Hermione looked up hesitantly. "Do you know why he joined, what made him join?"

"Well, I never really understood it until I saw you two together but my guess would be because of you." Hermione gasped and took great offense to this.

"No, no, you did not understand me. He wanted so desperately to find you, to make sure you were safe, and to show you he was safe that he would have done anything to get you back." Minerva's eyes sagged a bit and her mouth formed into a slight frown.

"But why didn't he just go straight to Dumbledore? Dumbledore could have helped; he could have gotten him back to me." Hermione jumped off the bed and paced around the room.

Minerva glanced at the young woman and laughed as her actions mimicked those of Severus so much that it was like seeing the young man again back in his school days.

"Well, at first he was going to, but a friend decided this was the perfect way to get him to join in on his newly found society."

"That's why he joined…" Hermione whispered as the light dawned on her. "It is all my fault that his life is the way it is, if I had never helped him, he could be so happy right now, married with lots of children and experimenting as he pleases." Hermione babbled to herself and felt tears prickle her eyes.

Minerva heard ever word the girl had said and stood up the stop Hermione's pacing and frantic thoughts. "My dear, I can assure you that if you had never helped him would not even be here right now, he would have been killed. His life is better because of you. Yes, he may have been sucked into a terrible world of the Death Eaters, but when I saw his eyes as he talked to you… I have never seen him so happy."

Tears ran down Hermione's flushed cheeks. After Professor McGongall's speech, Hermione gripped onto her teacher and head of house in a hug. The hug was returned awkwardly and lightly as first, but as Hermione really began to cry the woman grasped onto her trying to comfort her as best she could.

Soon Hermione was reduced to nothing more then a hiccupping, sniffling, body with a red face and eyes. Wiping the back of her hand across her nose, Hermione laughed. "I am sorry for all of that Professor; I guess everything that has happened hit me just then."

Minerva gave her a small pat of the back. "It was no trouble child. I do know what it is like to be in love, and all the trials that go along with it. But may I ask one thing?" Hermione nodded. "Tell me what happened? I need to know, to make sure that this will turn out happy for the both of you."

* * *

Severus ran from his love, but did not dare to look back to her. He knew if he looked back he would never run away from her again.

Reaching a safe distance, Severus looked around to make sure that no one was around and donned his Death Eater garbs. Once he was bathed in the black cloth, he slipped on the white mask and did the same for his mind. Slipping on the mind of an evil, mud-blood hating, Death Eater that served a Dark Lord, hell bent on taking over the Wizarding World and making it his own.

He paused and sighed. But the moment was soon gone as his hand pressed against the burning mark and felt his body travel to an unknown place.

He arrived in a flash. He looked around and saw that this was in the same place as last time.

'Dangerous to have the meeting in one place, two times in a row, very dangerous indeed.' He thought. But the thought was wiped from his head as he walked dignified up to were the crowd had gathered.

He reached the outskirts of the crowd and tried to blend in as much as possible. But no, he was not to blend in this time.

"Severus, come up and see the prize I had acquired!" The Dark Lord had felt his servant spy from Hogwarts arrive, lastly. At another time Severus would have been punished but this time the Dark Lord was in too good of a mood to let a trusted Death Eater fall in pain.

He heard his name and cringed. Quickly he pushed lower level minions out of the way, with the kind of distain he would if he were walking through a crowd of first-years, and made his way up to the front.

The heads finally cleared from his view and he saw a most terrible and ghastly sight. Albus Dumbledore was strung in front of them, blood slightly seeping out of many wounds, his hand red with dried blood, and his arms and legs bent in ways they should not be. Next to the bleeding and strung up Albus was the Boy-Who-lived, Harry Potter. The boy had not been touched. Potter had been tied up and let, no blood pouring from any wounds and no broken bones.

Severus cringed and felt fury rise in him. But he bowed and spoke like the loyal Death Eater he was. "You have captured him? My Lord this is most wonderful news. I am just saddened that I could not have done this for you."

"Oh, yes Severus, it is wonderful news. The old fool you have been forced to serve is here bleeding wonderfully but the boy you have hated and cursed since his birth has not been touched. Why you ask has this happened?" His voice soon grew loud as a Senorus charm was placed on his throat. "I am sure that this is question many of you are asking yourselves right now."

The crowd of Death Eaters all bowed in unison. "Yes, yes that is what you are wondering."

Voldemort stepped down from the stage that had been made for him. "Well, why would I waste and ruin such a perfect young boy right here and now. The whole World loves him as a son, why should I torture and kill him in secret. His life is far too precious for just a normal Killing Curse." Voldemort had walked out into the crowds and crackled with malevolent energy as the masses bowed deeper for him. "Oh the world shall see his demise, and see my rise to power. This young boy, who has made me suffer so greatly and made YOU suffer so greatly, will get his just reward."

At this, Voldemort walked elegantly back up to the stage and stood right in front of Harry's face. "You… you filthy combination of a mudblood and a traitor," He spat at Harry. "I think there will be no man, ever made to suffer as I will make you. I will make you wish I had killed you so many years ago. I will make you want to die so badly that you would be screaming for relief from pain and you will be begging for my mercy." Voldemort grimaced and his red eyes glowed brightly. "You…will…beg…plead…and finally bow to me. Betray all that you have known and bow to me."

Voldemort spun on his heels and stepped back from where Harry was being tied up. "Soon, his time will come, and he will fall into line, under me and serve me in creating this world OURS!" He screamed and the black seemed to come alive as masks of white flashed into view and roars bubbled up from underneath them.

"He will bow to me!" Voldemort cast a charm, forcing Harry to prostrate himself to the Dark Lord. This caused all of the Death Eaters to laugh and cheer even louder. But it all stopped as Voldemort held up a hand. "It will all begin on the morrow; everything we have worked for shall be realized. We will WIN!"

Again the cheers, started up. But just one was not cheering. After hearing what was going to happen, Severus went numb and stumbled back a bit, knocking into his celebrating comrades. 'It was all going to happened tomorrow. The end is here and we must prepare.'

* * *

"Miss. Granger, please tell me what it is that happened." The Professor was eagerly but gently ushering Hermione to the bed so that she could tell the tale.

Hermione felt herself sit and be pushed down to sit on the bed. Her head flew back to land on the pillow. Her eyes closed and she thrust herself back into that world.

"He showed up at my door one day. He was perfect, no scars, no broken bones. His eyes were bright and deep but still weary. His hair was long and pulled back. He showed up at my door, asking for help. I couldn't believe who it was at first. Next thing I knew he had collapsed, from exhaustion I am guessing. I don't really know how long he had been wondering until he had found me. I pulled him into my house and he spent the night on my couch recovering. When he had awoken the next morning I found that he didn't know how or why he had been sent into the future. The last thing that he remembered was being pushed off a staircase by Lucius Malfoy and landing somewhere in muggle London."

"Ah, yes. I do remember that day very well." Minerva spoke up. "Severus came in bleeding and with a very bad concussion. He had been mumbling terribly about a girl and her father but many of us just said it was because of the concussion." She looked over at Hermione and found her listening intently but with her eyes still closed. "But what we could never explain was that he had a bullet wound that had gone through his abdomen. We almost lost him."

Hermione shuddered a bit at the thought but continued on with the story like nothing had happened. "I had convinced him to stay and he did. Somewhere I fell in love with him, very unusual for a girl like me but I just fell head over heels in love with him and him with me. That month became the happiest of my entire life. We spent all of our time together. Watching TV, eating, reading, we hardly ever left the house. And even in the times that we did, when I had to go and get food, he went with me and we were still together. My neighbors that saw us said that we looked so happy and was wondering who that boy had been. I loved him more then I think I have ever loved anyone. I still love him so much." Hermione sighed and a smile lit up her face that made her look so blissful.

A few moments passed. Minerva saw how absorbed Hermione was in her thoughts but she just had to hear the rest of the story. "Miss. Granger? Will you finish the story?"

Hermione opened her eyes and smiled sheepishly at her Professor. "I am sorry. I merely became caught up in my memories." Hermione cleared her throat and prepared to continue on.

"Our last night together came. It was pleasant enough, but nothing like I had wanted. A fight ensued but we ending making love, professing our hearts to one another. He was my first and I thank the gods everyday for that opportunity. My parents, though, had to make everything so hard. They were supposedly coming home the next day but had wanted to surprise their little baby daughter early."

Minerva gasped in spite of herself. Her thoughts went to all of the horrible conclusions that could have happened. "Dear child, what happened?"

A look of discomfort came to Hermione's face as she told this part of the story. "My father burst into my room, looking to kill whoever was in there with me. Severus tried to reason with him. He tried but he wouldn't listen. That man just would not listen." Tears came to Hermione's eyes and her chest constricted in pain. Her hands began to wring the fabric of her robes. "I don't really know how it happened. The bullet just shot out of the gun he had. Severus fell over onto the floor. His blood spread so quickly on my carpet. He died in my arms. His head was in my lap and his blood was covering me. I went out into my hallway and cried; I could not take seeing his dead body. It was just too painful. My mother, though, who had been there the whole time, chose that moment to open her mouth. She screamed out and I ran into my bedroom. 'He was gone' she had said, 'he just disappeared.' All that was left of my love was blood staining my floor, he was dead and I didn't understand. I cried there, above his pool of blood, for longer then I know."

Minerva saw Hermione cringing and tears roll down her cheeks. Her hands had turned white from clutching her robes. And she saw blood sprinkle down Hermione's bottom lip from biting down on it so hard.

Minerva stood up and put a hand on Hermione's head, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

* * *

The journey back from that meeting was a hard one. He had to run all the way back to where he could apperate back to Hogwarts.

His walk through the Great Hall doors was interrupted by a shockingly disoriented Minerva.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story even after I didn't update for about three weeks. I just had so much going on. **

**The end of school is close and all of my teachers felt it was the perfect time to pile on homework, projects, and tests. So writing was something I just didn't have time to do. But I did it and I'm so happy. **

**Also my next chapter will probably not be for a while either because my prom is coming up and I gotta get ready for that. **

**I want to get this out right now, so I'm not gonna do review answers if you had questions about last chapter or anything else I will email them to you and make sure you know what is going on. **

**Thanks so much, review and make me lots o'happy! BYE**


	21. That's Love, You'll See

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 21: That's Love, You'll See

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Since Hermione had finally fallen into a bit of a troubled sleep, Minerva walked the hallways.

Her thoughts went back to the story Hermione had told her. All the events replayed in her mind once again. Severus had seemed so different from how he was before the incident. His thoughts were always on the girl and his determination to find her.

But her train of thought was cut very short as she saw Severus come into the Great Hall.

"You, selfish bastard!" She screamed his way.

Severus stopped in his tracks at her outburst. "Excuse me, Madame?" He asked rather annoyed.

"You heard me, you overgrown bat. You disgusting, no-good excuse for a man!" Again Minerva screamed at him, but she had advanced on him and was poking a finger into his chest.

"Madame, are you going to tell me what you are babbling about or just continue to rant and rave." Severus figured what she was going on about but wanted to hear it from her own mouth.

"You know very well what I am speaking of. Hermione has told me what happened between the two of you this past summer." Minerva backed off him a bit but was still a bit too close for Severus's comfort.

Severus sighed and ran a hand through his lank hair. "Ah, so she has told you our story?" Minerva nodded hotly. "And you yell at me about something you know nothing of?" He shouted at her.

Minerva was taken back a little but stood her ground. "Fine, then." She replied smartly. "Inform me of how you treated her. Made her cry, made her feel so terrible about herself."

Severus eyed her severely, and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you speak of how I made her feel. You have no idea how I felt!" His voice was in a whisper, frightening Minerva to no end. But she, of course, would never admit to it.

"Then tell me your side of the story Severus. I'm sure it shall be short." She spoke curtly.

Minerva conjured two dark wood, high backed chairs, definitely not made to be comfortable. She sat and gestured for Severus to sit also. He just looked foully at the chair and made it in a small glass, filling it with a dark, amber liquid.

Severus took a sip from his glass. He turned his back to Minerva and sighed deeply before he started telling his tale.

"When I returned from…my…trip, I was so desperate to find Hermione. I would finish schoolwork and search for hours for any kind of sign of her or the Granger name, anywhere. I had even resigned to searching in the Americas." Severus laughed bitterly and took a long gulp from the glass that automatically refilled itself.

Minerva glanced up at him. Her stiff face had softened a bit, but not enough for it to be very noticeable. "Yes, I remember that year. Your grades were still the highest that this school had ever seen but your mind was always elsewhere."

"It was a year that I shall never forget. That time was the hardest that I had gone through." He took a sip. "I had finally relented to asking acquaintances if they knew a Granger or if they knew of anyway I could find her. I received a letter soon after asking a certain friend for help. He told me that his Master…" He spat this word out as if it were bitter in his mouth. "Would get me what I wanted and needed." Another long sip and the glass refilled itself. "So the next month, after a long month of waiting, I met his Master. Terrifying: Was the first thought that came to my mind. But if it meant getting my Hermione back I would have gone through anything." A sip. "He promised me that I would be able to find her if I were to join him and work at Hogwarts as a spy for him. It didn't take me long to agree and become a Death Eater." A long gulp, as Severus gripped his forearm and was thrust back into memories.

Minerva couldn't help but gasp at the intensity of his voice.

"Not long after being recruited I found that Lucius Malfoy was also in league with this Lord Voldemort." The liquid once again was drained and refilled. "He was only in it for the power and because it was expected of him. He could not have cared less about Purebloods and Muggleborns."

Minerva sat wide-eyed with her mouth slightly agape. "I had no idea." She whispered to herself, almost silently.

Severus took this time to clear his throat of the lump that was growing, and his eyes of the unwanted and unexpected tears.

"The two of us really stuck together. Leaving Hogwarts was a hard thing but we had to work to keep us occupied. I was creating potions for the Dark Lord and his apparently vast armies, and Lucius was making his way up to political ladder." A sip. "But, two years went by and we were eventually called to go and get 'field experience'." Severus bit out a harsh laugh and took a drink, still keeping his back turned to Minerva. "I, along with Lucius, were there that night Potter and Lily were killed. We had only created things and kept to the background but that night of mayhem and destruction had been enough. After the panic among the Death Eaters settled in, we went back to Hogwarts as fast as we could. Dumbledore had some how suspected that he would have company and let us enter his office without a password."

"Goodness, yes. I do remember asking Albus why he had done that, but he merely smiled at me. I had no idea." Minerva was staring intently at his back waiting for him to continue on with his story.

"Once Albus finally showed up, Lucius and I told him everything and begged for a forgiveness we thought would never come. But good old Dumbledore…" Once again Severus laughed but it turned into a slight cough as he took a long drink from his now refilled glass. "Dumbledore gave us forgiveness. For a price. We became his spies, double-agents if you like. Our lives became defined by the information that we gave to the different parties. So the years went on. I never forgot about Hermione, she was always there whispering in the back of my head."

"Oh, gods." Minerva was moved by the tale. But she knew what was coming.

Severus seemed to take no notice in her interruption. "Finally, though…I never thought I was to see her again. Hermione Granger. I can still remember exactly was it felt like to hear her name being called. The absolute joy that she was back in my life, but then the absolute terror when this tiny, bushy-haired girl came up to the Sorting Hat with so much confidence and defiance. Even though the woman I fell in love with was a girl, I knew it was her."

"Oh, Severus I didn't know." Minerva shook her head and wiped tears away that rolled down her cheeks.

"That evening I spoke with Dumbledore about her return to me. It is the only time I know of that I saw the sparkle and cheer fall away from his eyes. The smile stopped gracing his lips. He looked me in the eyes and told me that I am never to speak with her about anything that had happened. That I was to treat her as any undercover Death Eater might treat a Muggleborn." He took a long drink as his throat was beginning to tighten and dry. "I cursed at him, asked him why, slung terrible names at him. But Albus just sat there, took it, and when I was finished comforted me. Finally I agreed to treat her so miserably, to make her cry. But even though I knew it was for her own safety, every night after seeing tears well up in her gorgeous brown eyes I hated myself. I told myself that one day she would forgive me for what I put her through and we would be together again." He cleared his throat and licked at his dry lips.

He had forgotten long ago he had an audience, he just wanted to story out of him. But a small sob emitting from a few feet away reminded him she was there. "So, there is your story Minerva." He spat this out bitterly.

"I had no idea." She sobbed out. "I didn't know, I thought you were ashamed or you truly did not love her any more. But I just didn't know." Minerva was holding back a tidal wave of tears at this point.

"I KNOW THAT YOU DID NOT KNOW, ALRIGHT!" Severus suddenly and violently screamed out. "It doesn't matter that you didn't know. It's that you did not even respect me enough to ask." Severus hung his head in exhaustion.

Minerva sighed deeply at this and felt shame and guilt wash completely over her. "Severus, I am sorry." She stood and walked over to him. Tentatively she placed a hand over onto his shoulder.

Severus felt the contact and couldn't help but tense up. "It is forgiven, Minerva." They both knew that it, of course, wasn't, but other matters needed to be discussed. "Now we must speak of something that is very serious."

He turned and walked over to where Minerva had sat before. Changing his glass into a chair, he waited for her to sit down once again.

"At the meeting, the Dark Lord proclaimed that he would be advancing on Hogwarts tomorrow." His tone was very businesslike.

Minerva gasped at this. "Without the protection of Albus here we do not stand a chance, Severus. We need to get the students out of here."

"No, we cannot. If we try to move them out now, the Death Eaters will know there is a spy in their midst." He shook he head and tried not to think of what would happen if he were found out.

"Then what do we do? We cannot expect those children to fight! They would be massacred." Minerva spat out hotly.

Severus placed his chin in his hands and thought deeply for a moment. "The Chamber of Secrets, that is still open, yes?" Minerva nodded her head slowly. "So we place the younger students in there and keep the older ones to assist us."

Confusion swiped over her face. "It could work. But still students against Death Eaters is hardly a fair fight."

"Indeed, I agree. Many of them will be Healers, just simple spells of course." A wild fire was beginning to grow in his eyes.

"Severus, that takes care of the students but where will we get the wizards and witches willing to risk their lives fighting against an almost unbeatable force? Beyond the Order there is not much of a reserve." Minerva couldn't help but see his eyes dance as a plan was being cooked up in his head.

"Don't worry about that, dear woman. I know of a man who can help with that."

"How do you know you can trust him to be here on time? And with the numbers we need to fight?" She asked skeptically.

"I would trust this man with my life, which has got to tell you something about him. If I ask him to be here, he will be here on time that I promise you." Severus answered looking ready to go and contact this friend of his.

Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Alright but hurry and speak with him we have much we need to discuss to be prepared for the upcoming…day" The word 'battle' was still to fresh and gruesome for her to speak aloud.

Severus nodded, bowed slightly, and ran off to find Ennis.

Severus scratched down the note quickly and asked for a reply back.

"Ennis," he stated to a very large gray hawk. "Don't let anyone else read this note. If they try you know what to do." The bird almost grinned terribly. He flexed his razor sharp talons as he remembered the last time he was interrupted during a mission. "Fly well, Ennis. And be quick."

The bird needed to hear no more as he swiftly flew out the window. In a matter of moments he had disappeared in the horizon.

An hour later, Ennis reached his intended destination.

"Ah, Ennis! What are you doing here so late?" The man asked the hawk.

The bird just stuck out its leg impatiently. The man laughed in response to the birds actions. "I see Severus has rubbed off on you quiet a bit."

The man unfurled the message and read it intently. Thinking of what needed to be done he pulled out a parchment and quill to write back a reply.

"Oh, yes Severus. We will be there. Don't you worry. We will be there." Laughter could be heard as Ennis streaked across the brightening sky.

* * *

**A/N: Guys, I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I was going to update about a month and a half ago but my computer died on me, so we needed to get that fixed. During the time I had no computer I wrote about 5 other chapters. When I finally got a computer I typed them out and saved them to a disk. Well the next day I was going to update, I was very excited. But oh no! My floppy got wiped clean. I lost all of my chapters! GRRR! **

**And also, school getting over slowed down the writing also and getting a job and actually having to show up to that job slowed it down too. So I really hope you enjoy this chapter and I will get out the next one so much faster. Love you all! BYE**

**Read and review, please!**


	22. Don't Let the Days Go By

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world

Chapter 22: Don't Let the Days Go By

* * *

By the time dawn had reached Hogwarts, Severus and Minerva were back into teacher mode and were preparing the school for the attack and the defense.

All the other teachers had also been awoken just after Severus and Minerva had made the rough ideas for plans. They were currently finishing moving the younger students into the Chamber. Of course, Ginny had been woken early as well, so that the Chamber could actually be opened, but none of the other students needed to know that.

Before the 5th, 6th, and 7th year students were moved into the Great Hall, all of the prefects and the Head Boy and Girl were called down by their Heads of Houses. They met in the Great Hall and were taught ten new medical spells. Basic ones, of course, but still very useful for what will need to be done. They learned the spells easily and waited there for the rest of their classmates to arrive.

Finally, the rest of the elder students were being loaded in to the Great Hall. They were talking excitedly amongst themselves. Minerva waited for Severus to get back into the Great Hall and to take his seat next to her. When he was by her side, Minerva stood to make her announcement.

"By now I'm sure many of you have heard that Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Harry Potter have been kidnapped by the Death Eaters. Because of this, Lord Voldemort," the younger students gasped at the name while most of the Seventh Years rolled their eyes at the others sensitivity. "has decided now is the perfect time to attack. Now, you all are here because we are asking for your help. As the older students you know more and are a bit more prepared for this then the younger students. But I will not kid you; this will most likely be the most dangerous thing you will ever encounter."

Minerva paused here to let the information, old and new, sink in. After a few moments of chatter, she cleared her throat and the talking once again died down.

"We," she indicated to the rest of the teachers who had come to gather around her since she began talking, "are asking you for help. You will not be call to fight but to heal." Some of the Seventh Years groaned at this but quickly stopped when Minerva glared at them. "No one who does not want to be in this danger may go down to the Chamber and help maintain order with the younger students." Minerva tipped her head to the door, saying that they should leave now if they were going to leave. The fear and the trepidation in the room was palpable but not a one person moved from where they sat.

Minerva smiled gently at them, but couldn't help but fear for their lives. "Your service and generosity shall not go over looked and you will not go unrewarded. Alright we shall now leave you in the hands of your Head Boy and Girl. You will be warned when they are near. Thank you." With that the teachers that had filtered in, all stood and left the Great Hall through a side door.

As the teachers were leaving, Hermione and Draco stood to walk to the front. By the time they reached the teacher's table the talking had escalated to a roar. Draco tried to shout over them but it didn't work at all. Finally Hermione rolled her eyes and placed a Sonorus charm to her throat.

"QUIET!" She screamed out. They immediately went silent. After the initialshock had worn off, a few Gryffindors clapped and cheered at Hermione.Taking the charm off her throat Hermione spoke again. "Thank you. Now as Professor McGonagall has stated, you are in our hands. During this time we have together the prefects will be teaching you some medical spells that you will need. Draco and I shall be walking around making sure everything is going alright. Now, please prefects get to work."

With that a handful of students rose and gathered their years in their Houses. Soon spells were being called out and were echoing throughout the Hall. Draco and Hermione were walking around helping those that needed it and correcting some. They circled the Hall twice and it seemed everyone had gotten the first spell down. Soon new spells were being taught and Hermione pulled Draco to the side.

"Draco, what are you going to do?" She whispered to him. She had been extremely worried about how he was going to fight off the Death Eaters without showing his true side from the beginning.

"Don't worry, my dear," he said patting her arm reassuringly, "I have gotten my orders and I know what to do."

She nodded her head with a slight smile. "I am just so scared, Draco. What if we die? What if all these kids here die? What if we lose?" Hermione hated to admit it but she was terrified.

Draco pulled her into a hug. He knew there was really nothing he could say to make her feel better. 'Save for one thing.' He thought with a sly smile.

"Go fine him, Hermione."

Confusion danced through her eyes but she was soon grinning ear to ear.

"Will you be OK here?" She asked already eyeing the doors.

Grinning Draco replied, "Of course I will be. Now will you just get out of here!" He shoved her slightly towards the doors.

Hermione faced him once again. 'So many things have changed.' She thought for a brief moment. Hermione gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing out of the Great Hall. A few students looked at her run out and then at Draco but he just glared at them his best Snape glare and they went back to work very quickly.

The hallways were completely empty as Hermione sprinted through them trying to find Severus. After a couple of minutes of running, Hermione had yet to find him and she was out of breath. Sliding down the nearest wall onto the floors, she tried to think were he may be. Checking off a list in her head, Hermione crossed off the Teacher's room and a look down in the dungeons had told her that he was not down there. But, finally a thought came to Hermione.

She could have smacked herself in the face for her stupidity. Raising her wand she pointed up where Gryffindor Tower was. "Accio Marauder's Map."

Whooshing sounds could be heard and they were slowly getting louder. Finally a piece of parchment flew from a stairwell and into the waiting hands of Hermione. Looking down at the map, she saw some professors helping down in the Chambers but most were outside of Hogwarts or near the walls strengthening the wards and defenses. But Professor McGonagall and Severus were no where to be found. But by accident her eyes skimmed over the Headmaster's office.

The two missing professors were in there. Doing what, she didn't know, but just the fact she now knew where he was and that he was somewhat close made the smile come back to her face.

Her breath had finally caught up with her. So rolling the Map up and putting it away, she ran off to the Headmaster's office.

After running, her sides began to ache and her heart was beating very fast but she could not stop now. She had to keep going. At last, she saw the gargoyle that led to the Headmaster's office. Hermione thought she had never been so happy to see that old ugly thing in her whole life.

Trying every kind of candy she could think of, the gargoyle finally stepped out of the way to let her up the stairs.

She took the stairs two at a time. Running, she reached the doors. The smile on her face came back as she heard voices on the other side of the door.

Pushing the sweaty hair out of her face and straightening her rumpled clothes, Hermione tried to look a bit decent. She let out a long breath of nervousness and raised her hand to open the door. But right as she was about to grip the door handle popping sounds could be heard. Fearing the worst, Hermione rushed through the door.

The second that she did she wished to any god that would listen that she hadn't. The room was empty. The voices that had been there only moments before were gone. Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes. She couldn't believe it. After trying so hard to track him down, all of her hopes were dashed in a fraction of a second. But as she looked out of the no doubt magical window, she saw a black army heading her way.

"Oh, gods!" She whispered into her hands, which had automatically flown to her mouth. The army was not all that shocking but what leading them was. Her eyes fell upon the roughly put together pieces of wood. The wooden platform held two pieces stakes sticking at least 10 feet in the air. Attached to those pieces of wood were none other then Harry and the Headmaster. Harry was untouched and struggling very hard, while Dumbledore was sitting there limply. He was beaten terribly, his face was black and blue and there was dried blood everywhere. She could tell he was still alive and awake but looked to just be sitting there gaining his strength back.

* * *

A few moments earlier, Severus and Minerva had gotten back down to the Great Hall. They apparated directly next to Draco, who had been helping a fifth year on their last spell. The second they appeared beside him, Draco let out a rather girlish scream and jumped back pulling out his wand.

Severus smiled just a bit at Draco's behavior while Minerva chuckled out right and apologized.

After making sure he was OK, Minerva informed the students that the armies of the Dark Lord were very close, so they needed to get into positions.

Draco, while listening to the report, was once again pulled to the side, though, this time by Severus.

"Where is she?" Severus asked discreetly but his voice was laced with worry.

Draco eyed him wearily, "Did she not find you? She left to go look for you and when she didn't come back I figured you two were getting out pre-battle tensions." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. But one look from his uncle made him stop.

Severus looked furious. "You let her roam about the castle by herself? What if she had been hurt? They took the wards down once, what if they had done it again?"

"Unc…Uncle I'm sorry. I just wanted her to find you to say good-bye before battle. I didn't even think about that. I was only trying to help." Draco shot back defensively.

Severus patted him on the arm, only once though not wanted the other students to see. "Alright, my boy. But where in the castle is she, did she say where she would be going?"

Draco shook his head. "No, she just sprinted out of here like a bat out of hell wanting to go and find you." Severus eyed him strangely for that remark but said nothing about it.

"Alright, I will go and see if I can fi…" But Severus wasn't able to finish as a man from the Order burst in.

"Severus, Minerva we are all here, but that means that so are they."

The chatter of the students grew loudly as the word of why the man had arrived was passed around.

Minerva shouted over them. "QUIET! Students, I'm going to need you to move down to the dungeons, that is where we are holding all of the injured for the time being." All the students nodded in unison. "Go. Do well, be careful, and I will see you all after this is all over."

With those solemn words, the students made their way quietly down to the dungeons.

The man from the Order ran up to Severus and Draco and explained the situation. Minerva soon filled in. The recruits had already arrived and were assembling on the make-shift battlefield. Aurors were arrived one by one and even after 50 had arrived the promise of more still came. The briefing ended and Minerva and Severus watched the young man leave with Draco in toe.

"Are you ready, Severus, for the fight of your life?" Minerva said with a slight smile on her face. The pre-battle excitement was running through her veins.

"As always. But there will be other 'fights of my life', as you so put it." He said very sardonically.

Eyeing him carefully, Minerva walked around a bit. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." Severus replied foully and a little too quickly.

Nodding her head, Minerva didn't push. "Then let's go." Throwing off her heavy outer robes, Minerva gripped her wand tightly and led the way out of the Great Hall and on to the battlefield.

* * *

**A/N: Am I too mean for doing that? He he he he. And see I told you that I would get it this chapter out faster, and I think it may even be a bit longer. **

**Don't you just love me? The next one will most definitely be the battle, well the next or the one after, because I have to get in Death Eaters POV. **

**Also I am writing up a new story. It's Phantom of the Opera. I'm doing really good on it and I can't wait to be ready to type it up and send it out to all of you guys. **

**Oh, to that reviewer that said Snape would never go into that heartfelt story to McGonagall, sorry my online isn't working right now but you know who you are. I know that he wouldn't ever do that, but I realized that after I had it all written out and everything so I tried to add in some 'back in character' moments. And this chapter too may be a bit OOC for him but I'm getting better I think. **

**Hope you like this one! Please Read and Review!**


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